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TikTok has announced Ireland as the location for its first data centre in Europe, which is expected to be operational by early 2022.
Today (6 August), Chinese short-form video-sharing platform TikTok has announced plans to build a new data centre in Ireland. The site will be the company’s first data centre in Europe.
TikTok’s global chief information security officer, Roland Cloutier, said that the centre will focus on building “advanced security infrastructure and relevant programmes” and engaging with industry partners.
“A constant remains our continuous commitment to providing a safe and secure app experience for all of our users,” Cloutier said. “A core component of this commitment is our approach to data centre locations and following a process that first began last year, today we’re announcing our intention to establish a new data centre in Ireland.”
Cloutier added that the centre will represent an investment of €420m, creating “hundreds of new jobs”. It will play a “key role in further strengthening the safeguarding and protection of TikTok user data”, he said, drawing on a “state-of-the-art physical and network security defence system”.
The centre will also work to deliver faster loading times for TikTok users and will store European user data. In June, TikTok announced that its Irish base would become responsible for the oversight of data for users in Europe, taking over from its US entity.
The data centre will add to the company’s presence in Ireland, joining its EMEA trust and safety hub that was established in Dublin at the start of this year. Amid the investment, Cloutier said, the company will be expanding its data protection and privacy teams.
IDA Ireland’s CEO, Martin Shanahan, said that the news represents “a substantial investment here”, positioning Ireland as “an important location in the company’s global operations”.
“This data centre signals our long-term commitment to Ireland and we expect the data centre to open and be operational by early 2022,” Cloutier added. “We are continuing to work on the details with our key partners, including the IDA, and we will share more updates on our progress in the near future.”
