The move comes months after Alibaba Cloud unveiled an ambitious $60 billion (€45 billion) investment plan aimed at strengthening its global cloud computing infrastructure over the next three years. While the company previously announced plans to build eight new data centres across several international markets, Ireland was notably absent from the list. However, recent developments suggest the country has now become part of the tech giant's broader expansion strategy.
In recent days, Alibaba has advertised key positions on its careers portal, including Data Centre IT Manager and Asset Manager, with both roles based in Dublin. According to the job descriptions, the successful candidates will oversee the operation of an Alibaba data centre in Ireland, providing one of the clearest indications yet that the company is preparing to establish a local facility.
The recruitment notice also states that "proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and/or local language is highly preferred," highlighting the company's desire to combine international expertise with local operations.
Further evidence of Alibaba's plans has emerged through newly filed corporate records, which show the company recently incorporated its first Irish-registered limited company.
The new entity was established by Alfred Wan, a senior director within Alibaba's global data centre division, alongside Charles Ma, who oversees on-site operations for the company's European and US data centres from Germany. Earlier this month, Wan also disclosed on LinkedIn that Alibaba was seeking executive recruitment support for several large-scale data centre projects around the world.
Despite the growing signs of investment, Alibaba has remained tight-lipped about its Irish ambitions and did not respond to requests for comment regarding the project.
Industry observers also say details remain limited. Two professionals working in Ireland's data centre sector told The Irish Times that little is currently known about Alibaba's plans or project timeline.
Earlier this year, The Business Post reported that Alibaba had sought to secure 50 megawatts of electricity for a proposed Irish data centre. Such a power allocation would be sufficient to support a large-scale cloud computing facility capable of serving enterprise customers across Europe.
Founded by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, Alibaba launched its cloud computing business, Alibaba Cloud, in 2009. The division has become one of the company's fastest-growing businesses as global demand for cloud services and artificial intelligence infrastructure continues to accelerate.
According to the company's latest financial filings, Alibaba Cloud generated $6.03 billion (€5.26 billion) in revenue during the financial year ending March 2026, representing a 40 per cent year-on-year increase.
Alibaba has steadily expanded its presence across Europe over the past decade. The company opened its first European data centre in Frankfurt, Germany, in partnership with Vodafone in 2016, later extending operations into the United Kingdom. Earlier this month, it also launched its first cloud data centre facilities in France.
Speaking during Alibaba's Apsara Conference last year, Alibaba Cloud President of International Business Fei-Fei Li said the company's infrastructure investments are being driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence technologies.
"Our strategic expansion of global infrastructure is designed to cater for the accelerating demand from forward-thinking customers," she said.
Ireland continues to strengthen its position as one of Europe's leading data centre hubs despite concerns over electricity demand and grid capacity.
A recent report by consultancy Bitpower found that Ireland currently has 107 operational data centres, with nine more under construction and 43 additional facilities already granted planning approval.
The country's outlook for further investment also improved after the Commission for Regulation of Utilities last year lifted the effective moratorium that had restricted new data centre connections to the electricity grid in the Greater Dublin Area.
The policy change is widely expected to encourage a fresh wave of investment as global technology companies race to expand cloud infrastructure to support the rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence services.
Alibaba's latest recruitment drive signals that Ireland could soon become another strategic location in the company's expanding European cloud network, reinforcing the country's growing importance in the global digital infrastructure landscape.