Tag: park

CCPC publishes its 2024 annual report

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has today published its 2024 Annual Report, detailing the investigations, enforcement actions and public awareness campaigns carried out last year. 2024 also marked a significant milestone as the CCPC celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of work promoting competition and enhancing consumer welfare.

Key highlights from 2024:

•    Blocked daa’s purchase of the former QuickPark car park site at Dublin Airport to prevent a monopoly in that market

•    Cleared 71% of merger determinations within 13.3 days, under a simplified process, despite merger notifications increasing by 21%

•    Opened five new investigations for suspected breaches of competition law

•    Carried out dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation in the home alarm industry, and assisted the Italian competition authority with an unannounced search of Ryanair’s headquarters in Dublin as part of an ongoing Italian competition investigation

•    Recalled, withdrew or prevented 178,596 unsafe products reaching the Irish market

•    Launched proceedings against several nationwide retailers for breaches of new sales pricing laws

•    Undertook 205 consumer protection inspections

•    Responded to over 44,000 helpline contacts and received 1.8 million visits to ccpc.ie

Among its highlights include the CCPC’s successful intervention to prevent a potential monopoly in car parking at Dublin Airport, blocking the daa’s attempted purchase of the former Quickpark site. The deal was stopped due to findings that it would lead to higher prices, less choice and lower service quality for consumers, and facilitated the entry of a new competitor to the car park market at Dublin Airport. Recent analysis conducted by the Commission shows evidence of consumers benefiting from increased competition for car park business at the airport.

Over 178,000 unsafe products removed or prevented from reaching the Irish market

Following consumer complaints, referrals from European networks, proactive investigations and work with Revenue Customs, the CCPC recalled, removed or prevented almost 180,000 unsafe and non-compliant products from reaching the Irish market. Recalls included almost 10,000 babies’ sleepsuits and over 2,400 toy construction trucks, in addition to compliance inspections across hundreds of products.

Enforcement and legal actions

Work to protect Irish consumers from breaches of consumer protection law continued at pace with more than 200 inspections undertaken, 47 fixed penalty notices and 23 compliance notices issued. Successful prosecutions were brought against five retailers, with Tesco Ireland pleading guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with the law in how they displayed the price of products offered on promotion to Clubcard holders.

Dawn raids

The CCPC carried out dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation in the home alarm industry. It also assisted the Italian Competition Authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), in an unannounced search of Ryanair’s headquarters in Dublin as part of an ongoing Italian competition law investigation.

CCPC Chairperson Brian McHugh commented:

“2024 marked a major milestone for the CCPC — ten years of championing consumer rights and fostering competitive markets in Ireland. Open, fair markets are the backbone of our economy’s success, ensuring that whether consumers are making small everyday purchases or major financial decisions, their interests are protected.

“Our Annual Report highlights the vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy, from enforcing consumer law on retail pricing, to advocating proactively for reforming the legal sector to better serve the interests of Irish businesses and consumers. As we look ahead, it is clear that the CCPC’s work is more important than ever and our vision for open and competitive markets where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete, remains at the heart of everything we do.

“Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland.”

For more information, read the CCPC’s 2024 Annual Report.

Editor’s Notes

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for enforcing and promoting compliance with competition, consumer protection and product safety law, with new and expanding roles in digital and data regulation. We make markets work better for consumers and empower consumers to make informed choices.

Other CCPC reports for 2024 that may be of interest include:

–    The Contacts Report which breaks down the sectors, issues and traders detailed by consumers who contacted the CCPC for information on their rights in 2024.

–    The Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Report which provides details of the mergers and acquisitions notified to, and reviewed by, the CCPC throughout 2024.

–    The Consumer Protection List which details the CCPC’s consumer protection enforcement activities in 2024.

Park Place Announces New Liquid Cooling Solutions to Cut Costs and Carbon Emissions for Ireland Data Centres

Park Place Technologies, the world’s leading global data centre and networking optimisation firm, today announces the expansion of its portfolio of IT infrastructure services with the introduction of two Liquid Cooling solutions for data centres: Immersion Liquid Cooling and Direct-to-Chip Cooling.

This announcement comes at a critical time for businesses who are seeing a dramatic increase in the compute power they require, driven by adoption of technologies like AI and IoT. This in turn is driving the need for more on-prem hardware, more space for that hardware, and more energy to run it all – presenting a significant financial and environmental challenge for businesses. Park Place Technology’s new Liquid Cooling solutions present a strong solution for businesses looking to address these challenges as the technology has the potential to deliver strong financial and environmental results.

Direct-to-Chip is an advanced cooling method that applies coolant directly to the server components that generate the most heat including CPUs and GPUs. Immersion cooling empowers data centre operators to do more with less: less space and less energy. Using these methods, businesses can increase their Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) by up to 18 times, and rack density by up to 10 times. Ultimately, this can help deliver power savings of up to 50%, which in turn leads to lower operation costs.

From an environmental perspective, liquid cooling is significantly more efficient than traditional air cooling. At present, air cooling technology only captures 30% of the heat generated by the servers, compared to the 100% captured by immersion cooling, resulting in lower carbon emissions for businesses that opt for immersion cooling methods.

Park Place Technologies can deliver a complete, turn-key solution for organisations looking to implement Liquid Cooling technology, removing the complexity of adoption, which is a common barrier for businesses. Park Place Technologies provides a single-vendor solution for the whole process from procuring the hardware, conversion of the servers for liquid cooling, installation, maintenance, monitoring and management of the hardware and the cooling technology.

“Our new Liquid Cooling offerings have the potential to have a significant impact on our customers’ costs and carbon emissions, two of the key issues they face today,” said Chris Carreiro, Chief Technology Officer, at Park Place Technologies.  “Park Place Technologies is ideally positioned to help organisations cut their data centre operations costs, giving them the opportunity to re-invest in driving innovation across their businesses.

The decision to invest in Immersion Cooling and Direct-to-Chip Cooling depends on various factors, including the specific requirements of the data center, budget constraints, the desired level of cooling efficiency, and infrastructure complexity. Park Place Technologies can work closely with customers to find the best solution for their business, and can guide them towards the best long-term strategy, while offering short-term results. This takes much of the complexity out of the process, which will enable more businesses to capitalise on this exciting new technology.”

Version 1 brings National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park alive with new AI-led app

Version 1, a leading digital transformation partner and The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC), home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers, today announced the brand new TNMOC Mate application, designed to transform the museum’s visitor experience for all age groups, cultural origins, and linguistic backgrounds.

TNMOC Mate uses generative AI to present compelling exhibit information in a way that is easily understandable, making sure that the intricate details of the history and future of computing are accessible to everyone.

Exhibitions at TNMOC can be incredibly detailed, particularly as they portray cryptographic machines and the historical development of computers. These exhibits are sometimes more challenging for certain visitors to fully appreciate, including those for whom English is not their primary language, younger visitors, or those with neurodiverse profiles.

TNMOC wanted to avoid any factors that may prevent all visitors from having the same level of participation and worked with Version 1 to create the app, specifically designed for inclusivity in a way that has not previously been explored.

 “We chose to work with Version 1 because they understood exactly what we wanted to achieve. As well as having the right advanced technical expertise, Version 1 shares the goal to leverage today’s cutting-edge technology for the benefit of absolutely everyone,” said Jacqui Garrad, Museum Director at TNMOC. “We’re proud to be able to deliver educational opportunities with this accessible tool, immersing our visitors in our exceptional collection. Thanks to Version 1 for realising our vision. This undoubtedly makes us one of the most accessible museums in the world.

“Version 1’s leading capabilities in the use of generative AI, not just for improved, but also more accessible and inclusive user experience means that we are constantly pushing the boundaries to deliver on the expectation of next generation consumer interaction,” said Brad Mallard, Chief Technology Officer at Version 1. “When we worked with TNMOC to shape the vision for the app, we were excited to imagine how we could use the most cutting-edge technology with them, especially given the historic importance of Bletchley Park and its association with Alan Turing and his ground-breaking work on AI back as early as 1935. It truly delivers the inspiration of the museum exhibits in the same degree of vivid and fascinating discovery to every visitor, regardless of who they are.”

TNMOC Mate offers clear directions for seamless museum navigation, facilitated by a persona that the visitor can choose to match their age group and language preference. All the prompts are delivered in the preferred language and enhanced with audio and animated visuals. The app helps users to navigate through the museum using an interactive floor map that highlights exhibit details with simplified text and audio.

The museum will host a relaxed opening and launch of TNMOC Mate today, Wednesday 25th October, at a unique event called “Digital Future Days: Relaxed Opening and Home Educators Day” welcoming visitors to try out the technology and explore the museum in their own way against a tranquil setting.

Park Place Technologies Bolsters Ireland Tech Investment

Park Place Technologies, the world’s largest global data centre and networking optimisation firm, has opened its long-awaited Support & Operations Centre at Blarney Business Park, Cork.

This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

“I am delighted to welcome the official opening of the new Park Place Technologies facility in Blarney, a very positive development for Cork and for the broader region” Taoiseach Micheál Martin said. “The opening of the new facility is testament to the Park Place Technologies continued commitment to Ireland and the growth and success of the company here. The Government will continue to work to support our thriving technology sector, and leading companies such as Park Place Technologies, as we build on the record 2.5 million people now in employment in Ireland and ensure continued opportunities in the future.”

Park Place’s new flagship facility consists of 24,500 square feet. The new facility 6km north of Cork’s city centre, will accommodate Park Place’s growth, allow employee expansion (projected to double by 2024), offer a landmark facility for clients, and provide a high-quality meeting space for prospects and channel partners.

Work positions are filled with local talent, and recruitment will continue for highly skilled engineering and technology positions. These include multiple roles including Support Centre Representatives, Advanced Engineering Technical Support and Buyer Planners. Customer support at the facility is available in all European languages.

Park Place has a long history of investment and philanthropy in Ireland and the wider EMEA region. Its STEM efforts have included partnerships with CoderDojo, a non-profit that teaches children fundamental aspects of computer coding; and a laptop donation programme, TechForGood, with I Wish, an Ireland-based non-profit committed to showcasing the power of STEM to teenage girls.

Ian Shearer, Park Place Managing Director, EMEA & APAC, said, “Park Place Technologies opened its first office in Cork in 2018. Our growth, commitment to the people of Ireland, and investment in local Irish communities through our STEM philanthropy has been consistent, dedicated and a tremendous addition to Cork’s tech presence. Ireland is a prime destination from which to serve our European and global customer base.”

“Park Place represents a modest investment for Ireland, but Ireland represents a major piece of our global investment in customer and employee experience,” said Park Place President and CEO Chris Adams. “As Park Place gains more experience in nearly every region of the globe, it is clear to us that Ireland is a special strategic partner; and the people and business community of County Cork are truly world class in their collaboration, tech skills and vision for the future. We offer tremendous gratitude to IDA Ireland, which has offered insight, guidance and access to resources that have been invaluable to our investment.”

The new Park Place building in Blarney Business Park represents a direct investment in Ireland. Park Place plans to host business and local community events in the facility, so it’s a premises that will benefit the wider community in County Cork in an interactive and accessible way.

“Park Place does not want to be viewed as another U.S. business setting up shop for itself,” said Chris Adams, Park Place President and CEO. “We do things differently when we invest in a community, and we want to prove ourselves as a part of the lives of the people of County Cork.”

Department Manager, Technology Division at IDA Ireland Anne-Marie Tierney Le-Roux said, “Congratulations to Park Place Technologies on the opening of its Support & Operations Centre in Blarney Business Park.  Since first announcing its arrival to Ireland in 2018, Park Place Technologies has developed into an important member of the South West Region’s established Tech cluster.  I wish the team at Park Place Technologies every success as it continues to grow its presence here in Ireland.”