Apple is expanding its European operations with an expansion in Cork, Ireland, by opening a new facility that will focus on product testing.
Apple to Open Facility in Ireland
A former Banta warehouse complex that the tech giant bought back in 2020, the new testing facility near Apple's Hollyhill campus in Cork will be used to check over products in several ways, according to Apple Insider.
According to the Irish Examiner, engineers and technicians working at the Apple facility will be using equipment including electron microscopes and CT scanners to examine products.
The company's goal is to find potential ways to improve the durability or performance of Apple's products.
The testing center is only Apple's third in the world and has cost millions of euros to convert, as well as hiring 300 workers for the redevelopment. While the original warehouse structure has been maintained, the internals of the facility has been renovated.
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Cathy Kearny, Apple's VP of European Operations, said that the new center is based in Cork, Ireland, because its 40-year history, the expertise in the area, and the quality of the existing team.
Kearny said that it is a natural evolution from all of the investments in the past few years. She said that the facility's focus is to ensure the best product, performance, and durability, and the lab team there will be testing and analyzing the tech giant's entire range of products.
Kearny also touched upon other research operations based in the area, including machine learning and artificial intelligence. She said that they began the team in 2019.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the said team has grown to over 680 people and continues to grow. It is a very diverse team with over 20 nationalities and a massive variety of experiences.
The VP continued that the new engineering and test facility and teams like AMIL are great additions to Apple's work in Cork.
Other Apple Projects in Europe
The production facility is not the only expansion project the tech giant is working on in Ireland. Apple has a $1 billion data center that it is constructing in Athenry that has already faced a lot of issues.
In September 2021, an Irish High Court blocked an extension of a permit for Apple's $1 billion data center due to potential environmental issues.
The challenge asserts that the Galway County Council was not entitled to give the tech giant an extension on building the data center.
The filing says that the Council had not properly accounted for necessary documentation nor heard any resident complaints about the matter.
According to RTE, Allan Daly has opposed Apple's data center plans, citing issues with proper documentation and considerations for environmental requirements.
Apple cited environmental reports conducted six years earlier, and Daly said that these are not up to code with the current requirements.
In 2018, Apple opened its data center in China.
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Written by Sophie Webster
