Tag: CSO

How Sustainable Hardware is Powering Ireland’s Tech Future

Ireland is Europe’s digital heartland, where rapid technological growth must now balance with strict environmental commitments. Today, implementing energy-efficient solutions is vital for maintaining the country’s competitive edge and protecting its natural resources. By optimizing power usage and component lifecycles through durability and recycling, local firms are proving that high performance can be environmentally responsible.

The Push for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers

As of early 2026, Ireland hosts 82 operational data centers, with several clusters located in the Dublin region. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), these facilities now consume approximately 22% of Ireland’s total metered electricity. This marks a significant milestone, as the energy use of data hubs has officially surpassed that of all urban households in the country combined. Efficient hardware development plays a critical role in this transition by optimizing power usage and extending the lifecycle of electronic components. To address this, operators are moving away from traditional cooling systems toward liquid cooling and advanced airflow management.

The integration of smart sensors and IoT devices allows for real-time monitoring of energy patterns. This data-driven approach ensures that every watt is accounted for. Engineers are implementing several strategies to keep these massive hubs running cleanly:

  • District Heating Integration: The pioneering project in Tallaght now successfully recaptures waste heat from server farms to provide low-carbon heating for the Technical University Dublin (TUD) campus and local public buildings.
  • Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems equipped with lithium-ion batteries for better storage density and faster response times during grid fluctuations.
  • Advanced power distribution units (PDUs) that minimize transmission loss within the server racks through optimized voltage conversion.
  • High-efficiency voltage regulators that stabilize power flow for sensitive AI-ready processors, reducing heat generation.

Circular Economy and Lifecycle Management

The tech industry is notorious for rapid obsolescence, especially with the surge in AI hardware demands. However, the Irish tech sector is pioneering a “circular” approach to physical assets. Instead of the traditional “take-make-dispose” model, firms are adopting modular designs. This means when a single part fails or becomes outdated, technicians replace only that specific module rather than the entire unit. This practice significantly reduces electronic waste, which remains a critical environmental priority for the EU.

Sustainability starts at the design phase. Local innovators are selecting materials that are easier to recover and reuse. This shift requires a deep understanding of metallurgy and chemical engineering to ensure that performance remains top-tier. Several key factors contribute to this more sustainable lifecycle for enterprise devices:

  1. Standardization of components to allow for cross-brand compatibility and significantly easier repairs in the field.
  2. Implementation of “take-back” programs where manufacturers reclaim old server chassis for professional refurbishment and resale.
  3. Use of biodegradable or highly recyclable polymers in the outer casings of industrial electronics to minimize landfill impact.
  4. Refining the extraction process for rare earth metals found in printed circuit boards to create a closed-loop supply chain.

 

Renewable Integration and Grid Stability

A major part of Ireland’s tech future involves syncing hardware with the renewable energy grid. Ireland is a world leader in wind energy, which supplied approximately 34% of national electricity demand throughout 2025. However, wind is intermittent. Sustainable infrastructure must be “grid-aware,” meaning it can adjust its power intake based on the current supply of green energy. This requires specialized power management firmware and robust electrical components that can handle fluctuations without crashing the system.

Leading facilities in Dublin and Cork are already experimenting with “demand-response” technology. During periods of low wind, these systems automatically throttle non-critical tasks to lower the load on the grid. This level of synchronization is only possible through highly specialized equipment. The following elements are essential for creating this harmony between the tech sector and the environment:

  • Variable speed drives (VSDs) in cooling fans that adjust precisely to the needed thermal load, preventing energy waste.
  • Artificial intelligence controllers that predict peak energy pricing and shift heavy computational workloads to “greener” hours.
  • Solid-state storage devices (SSDs) that consume up to 50% less power during active read/write cycles than traditional spinning drives.

By investing in these advanced physical solutions, Ireland is creating a blueprint for other digital economies. The focus on efficiency, modularity, and grid integration ensures that the tech sector can grow without compromising the planet.

Indeed on CSO unemployment: Unemployment rate increases to 4.3%

The main unemployment rate was 4.3% in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from 4.2% in February of this year and up from 4.1% in March 2023. There was an increase of 9,400 in the seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed in March 2024 compared with a year earlier. 

Jack Kennedy, senior economist at global jobs platform Indeed, comments on the latest CSO data:

“The main unemployment rate was 4.3% in March, up from the 4.2% recorded in February and compared to 4.1% in March 2023.

The latest figure remains down from the 4.6% recorded in January though and is lower than rates seen in the second half of 2023.

Overall, the Irish labour market remained resilient in Q1 and barring any other major shocks to the economy, the outlook for the remainder of the year is positive, although it is possible that there will be some further modest softening.

Irish job postings on Indeed were down to 14% above pre-pandemic levels at the end of March. This compares to 17% at the end of February 2024 and 22% in January. This is also down from a high of 65% recorded in February 2022. We expect to see job postings continue to gradually recede to levels similar to those prevailing before the pandemic. 

Wage growth in Ireland continues to hold steady and was at 4.1% year-on-year at the end of February. This reflects the ongoing pressure employers are under to recruit and retain staff at a time when the cost of living remains high, but may ease somewhat later this year if the labour market continues to soften and cost-of-living pressures ease further.  

For now, however, employees are likely to continue to press for pay rises despite signs that the inflation rate is falling amid lower energy and food prices. The latest CSO figures showed the annual inflation rate in Ireland fell below the euro zone target of 2% for the first time in almost three years after slowing to 1.7% in March.

This is good news for hard-pressed households and offers some relief, but it is likely to take time before they feel the real impact, especially as government energy and fuel supports have either ended or are about to end later this month. Many households may also require reductions in the European Central Bank’s key interest rate before regaining full confidence in their financial position and ability to spend.”

Driving less than 15,000 km a year? New report says you could save money by ditching your private car

Car owners who are driving less than 15,000 km a year could be losing out on substantial cost savings, according to a new report from Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting and Bolt, Europe’s largest shared mobility company.

The report has found that while there has been a reduction of 1,700 km per year in the distance travelled by personal cars across Europe over the last decade, the number of vehicles registered per household has stayed the same, suggesting that cars are often sitting idle at home. In Ireland, the number of privately-owned vehicles on the roads rose by 215% between 1985 and 2020. Previous research from Bolt revealed that over one quarter (25.67%) of Irish drivers are likely to give up their car in the next five years if viable alternatives are made available, whilst over half (54.55%) cited the overall expense of running a car as a potential reason for giving up their car.

For those car owners driving less than 15,000 km a year, new data shows other modes of transport like ride-hailing, car subscriptions, scooter and e-bike rentals and car-sharing can be more affordable than owning a car.

The report looked at the total cost of ownership (TCO) in price per km for premium, SUV and compact cars, which decrease incrementally the more a car is driven, and compared them to the price per km of different types of shared mobility services, which carry no additional costs to the user, past the initial price.

In Ireland, though petrol and diesel prices dipped by two cents and one cent in October, the price of crude oil remains elevated at approximately $90 per barrel, an increase on the $70 barrels were valued at during the summer.

Car-sharing emerged particularly favourably as a cost effective transport mode, being cheaper than all three car types at an annual mileage of up to 15,000 km. Shared scooters and e-bike services were cheaper than a compact car at an annual mileage of 5,000 km, while even the most expensive shared mobility service, ride-hailing, proved cheaper than a premium car for an annual mileage up to 12,000 km. The analysis was conducted in Germany but applicable to all major European markets.

For those who cannot afford a car, the study also points out how shared mobility is a viable alternative, removing the key financial barrier of purchasing a car, scooter or eBike and connecting into public transport systems to provide better commuting access.

Fortunately for Irish citizens, the government is taking warmly received steps to ensure the country is well-positioned to transition away from a reliance on the private car. The recent Budget included an investment of €360m in cycling and walking infrastructure, as well as confirmation that the 20% fare reduction for all public transport (implemented last year as a temporary cost of living measure) will continue.

Notably, the government has also been taking great strides to enable an alternative transport mode which can ensure the cycling infrastructure is well used: the shared electric scooter. Legislation is expected to be finalised in the next couple of months. Given one third (33.4%) of private car journeys in Dublin are less than two kilometres according to the CSO, and over one fifth (20.9%) are 2 to 4 kilometres in length, the company with Irish headquarters in Dublin expect the two-wheelers to be a hit in towns and cities of varying sizes across the country.

Indeed, Bolt already offers shared electric bikes in Sligo, Kilkenny, Wexford, Bray, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, and Carlow. The firm is the largest scooter provider in Europe with scooters and e-bikes in more than 250 cities across 25 countries.

Head of Public Policy for Bolt Ireland, Aisling Dunne, said: “This report comes at a time that has real potential to be a watershed moment for the environment and transport in Ireland. It exposes the poor value for money private cars represent for urban dwellers across the country, just when cities and citizens are understandably assessing how far their euro is going.

“Thankfully a viable alternative is well on its way in the form of the shared electric scooter. We strongly encourage the NTA to continue this positive momentum by evaluating if the supply of taxis – especially in hospitality hotspots like Dublin – is proportionate to the amount of demand from passengers. Many of us will have first-hand experience of struggling to get a taxi.”

Dr Andreas Nienhaus, Head of the Oliver Wyman Mobility Forum, who led the study, said: “The mobility sector has changed dramatically in recent years and in addition to cars there is now a range of different modes of transport available to people. Cars will still be a necessity for some depending on where they live or their job, but what this report shows is that switching away from private car ownership can have significant benefits for many, particularly those living in cities.”

In addition to saving people money, the new report also found that greater usage of services like scooters and e-bikes can have environmental benefits for cities and the people living in them.

An analysis of how people used Bolt scooters in Europe found that around 10% of e-scooter rides directly replaced car journeys. As a result, e-scooters on their own contributed a reduction of up to 120 million car kilometres travelled, helping to alleviate traffic congestion and air pollution in cities and to reduce car-related emissions by an estimated 23,000 tons CO2e across Europe. The study also highlights the potential for aligned multimodal approaches between operators and Cities to cut personal car usage by 20% in Cities like Berlin.