Ireland Is Trying to Get Back on the Data Center Bandwagon

Every few weeks, electricians, fitters and welders pass through Dublin Airport to get flights to construction projects for data centers across Europe.

They’re part of a cohort of Irish workers in high demand for their expertise in building and fitting out facilities. Their employer, Kirby Group, earned its reputation thanks to the massive investment in Ireland by the likes of Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google that turned the country into a major data center hub, one of Europe’s biggest.

The artificial intelligence race means Ireland should again be an investment winner, leveraging its longstanding relationships with ...