Developing excellence in artificial intelligence (AI) education, training and research is a key priority in the European Commission’s AI Continent Action Plan to make Europe a global leader in AI and promote the development and deployment of AI solutions that benefit society and the economy. With support from IDA Ireland – the country’s foreign investment promotion agency – a new €175 million investment from Workday will contribute to Ireland and the EU’s digital future by establishing an AI Centre of Excellence in Dublin.

Since 2008, Workday’s Dublin-based teams have driven impactful research and development (R&D) in AI. Over three years, its new centre will expand the teams’ roles in global innovation with a focus on:

• Product development. The centre will create over 200 roles in Dublin, helping to ensure regional AI, cybersecurity, engineering and research expertise is reflected in Workday Illuminate, the company’s AI platform. Workday currently employs 2,200 people there, of which approximately 80% work in R&D.
• AI upskilling. Workday has partnered with Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet – the national training network for Ireland’s digital technology sector – to upskill 300 current employees through its AI Business Academy. In addition, through a partnership with Technological University Dublin, over 285 employees have already graduated with certifications in AI themes, including Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Entrepreneurial Leadership and Creating Successful Products.
• Partnerships with Irish tech scale-ups. Workday and Enterprise Ireland – the government’s enterprise development agency – have formed the Workday Innovation Network to foster small and medium-sized enterprise learning and integration with Irish AI-enabled companies.
• AI academic fellowships and partnerships. In collaboration with universities such as Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University and Research Ireland, the national research and innovation funding agency, Workday’s Industry Fellowships will directly embed post-doctoral researchers within R&D teams in the company. This will allow top-tier academic talent to apply their expertise to real-world AI and machine learning challenges.

Workday’s AI Centre of Excellence will have the resources to not only further innovation within the EU but nurture the talent and expertise that can secure Europe’s leadership in the global digital landscape. In the coming years, the investment will pay dividends by fostering a vibrant ecosystem for AI research, skills development and innovation in Ireland and beyond.