Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially opened Google's new €150 million data centre in West Dublin today.

This is Google's second major data centre investment in Ireland, and is the newest addition to Google's global fleet of cloud computing facilities.

To date, the company has invested over €750 million in capital assets in Ireland, employing 3,000 people directly and about 3,000 people in contracted positions, bringing its total employment up by 20% on the 5,000 total in 2015.

Speaking at the event, Mr Kenny said: "The opening of this new €150 million data centre opens a new chapter in Google's story in Ireland.

"With the number of people employed by Google now surpassing 6,000, the company is a fantastic leader within Ireland's digital community.

"The Government's priority is to make Ireland a more competitive location for new investment and job creation, and the ongoing development of Ireland's digital industry is a key part of that plan."

Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O' Connor said: "Google's continued investment in Ireland is very welcome and this new Data Centre further enhances Google's presence in Ireland and is a vindication of the competitive advantage we can offer high technology companies.

"It is also a further commendation of the skilled Irish workforce available to such companies."

Ronan Harris, VP and Head of Google in Ireland, said Google has "continually invested" in Ireland since it first arrived here in 2003.

"Today's announcement is part of Google's plan to build the world's most energy efficient computing network and the work of our engineering team in Dublin is central to this success," he said.

"We now employ 6,000 people here in Ireland both direct and contracted employees and we're continually hiring, with over 250 open positions currently available at our EMEA headquarters. As Google grows globally, Ireland will continue to benefit from that growth."