Enterprise Ireland high-tech construction clients have delivered €4.7bn in global exports
Close to 50 Enterprise Ireland client companies are involved in delivering high-tech construction and engineering solutions for the Dutch market, including data centre and other infrastructure projects.
To build on Ireland’s track record in the market and to seek new opportunities, 86 Irish firms last week visited Amsterdam on a trade mission, led by Digitalisation, eGovernment and Public Procurement junior minister Frank Feighan. The visit was timed to coincide with Kickstart Europe 2026, the data centre trade show.
Organised by Enterprise Ireland, the trade mission included a visit to a data centre built by Mercury and a briefing with Louth-based XOCEAN at the IJmuiden Port to mark their success in the Dutch offshore wind industry. XOCEAN recently won a series of five-year survey contracts with six Dutch offshore wind farms.
Those attending spanned the Irish construction and engineering sector, from contractors such as Mercury, Sisk, Kirby Group and PM Group to more specialist contractors.
Along with high-tech construction, Irish companies from the digital technologies, life sciences, pharmaceuticals and consumer retail sectors are all finding a strong market in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is a key growth market in Europe’s data centre expansion
High-tech construction represents more than a quarter of Ireland’s €2bn annual exports to the Netherlands – but regardless of their sector, any Irish company seeking to scale should find the Netherlands a smart option as a first step into the European market.
Not only is it an open, friendly business environment and a short flight from Ireland, but also Dutch people are broadly happy to do business through English.
The Dutch market is keen on innovation and there are significant opportunities, in particular across sustainability-related innovation.
Enterprise Ireland offers extensive support to those researching, entering and scaling in the Netherlands. It’s a key growth market in Europe’s data centre expansion, along with the Benelux region more broadly, Germany and the Nordics.
The European data centre construction market is projected to reach €100bn by 2030, with Irish firms often serving as leading turnkey providers.
Long known worldwide for our capabilities in construction, Ireland has built world-class expertise in recent years in high-tech construction, meaning projects such as data centres and pharmaceutical facilities. Their knowledge spans general contracting, mechanical engineering, modular construction and fit-out.
More than 180 Irish companies operate in this space, working on the design, build, commissioning and maintenance of high-tech buildings.
In practice, this involves modular delivery, advanced engineering, data centre infrastructure solutions and more.
This deep expertise is how Enterprise Ireland high-tech construction clients have delivered €4.7bn in global exports (€2.1bn of which related to data centres), making it the agency’s largest export sector outside of food.
Not only that, it has grown 22.5pc annually over the past five years, making it one of Ireland’s fastest growing sectors.
Tonia Spollen is director, Benelux region at Enterprise Ireland
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