At the Dublin Tech Summit 2026, tech evangelist David Savage spent time moderating discussions on talent, skills, and the future of technology across Ireland and beyond. What stood out most was the confidence with which people spoke about Ireland's future, not just as a home for global tech companies, but as a destination for innovation, investment, and talent in its own right.
In this piece, David reflects on a conversation that caught his attention during the summit and explores a bigger question that emerged from his time in Dublin. As Ireland's tech sector continues to grow and AI adoption accelerates, is the country becoming one of Europe's most compelling technology success stories?
Last week, whilst on stage at Dublin Tech Summit, something unusual happened. I was moderating a discussion on the state of Ireland's talent pool, when a panellist had a little, playful dig at me. Not personally, but at my status as a British person.
"Let's not forget that we are the only English speaking EU member."
As someone who's always firmly believed leaving the EU was a catastrophic act of national self-harm, it stung. And it showed the growing confidence in Dublin that they are uniquely placed to compete in the technology space.
But whilst the narrative feels firm, does it really stack up? Certainly sitting in the same time zone as London is a business advantage, but is language alone enough to help super-charge Dublin’s charge to the front of the queue as Europe’s new Silicon Valley?
According to Investor Monitor, (between mid-2016 and early 2021) Dublin welcomed 135 new financial companies, a quarter of all Brexit-related relocations. That’s more than Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam with firms like Bank of America, Citi, and JPMorgan all moving into town. As of April this year Ireland now hosts 5178 tech companies and 2200 startups, contributing €48 billion to the economy.
Clearly this is some way short of the UK tech sector’s size and contribution, but the number of new UK tech incorporations has tumbled in recent years. Whilst Ireland grows, the UK contracts. I’m not suggesting Dublin will supplant London (still Europe’s unicorn leader and a genuine global city), but it is an increasingly attractive destination for tech talent.
Ireland is a world-leading hub for AI adoption, and a hub for giants like Google and Microsoft. In fact nucamp.co point to the fact there are many opportunities for senior specialists in AI and cloud roles, salaries are highly competitive (senior AI professionals earn over €140,000) and regions like Cork offer a wonderful quality of life that’s hard to match elsewhere.
The point about Ireland being a world-leader for AI adoption cannot be overlooked either. It’s estimated that 70% of Irish workers use AI regularly, higher percentages than we find in either the UK or the US. It underscores why my panel at Dublin Tech Summit spoke with such confidence. Eoin McDonnell (Head of National Talent Initiatives at Skillnet Ireland) talked with maturity on the need to invest in skills that drive real business outcomes, and an appreciation that upskilling in a business of 5,000 people looks very different to upskilling in a business of 50,000. It’s a maturity I think is sometimes lacking from discussions about AI and talent elsewhere, and clearly a product of people up and down organisations being hands-on with emerging tools.
Ireland offers business the room to grow, and provides flexibility within the EU, whilst remaining close to London. The UK often talks about our place as a “Goldilocks” zone, taking the best of governance, talent, and investment to help grow our AI capacity. But there may be envious eyes cast across the Irish Sea from London.
