Irish-US investment surge: The hands reshaping America

Irish investment surge reshapes US industrial landscape as firms deepen transatlantic footprint. Here are the Irish companies investing in America.

Ireland’s corporate presence in the United States is entering a new phase of scale and maturity, with Irish businesses committing billions of dollars to new manufacturing, infrastructure and technology projects across the country.

The expansion reflects a long‑term shift from export‑led engagement to deep integration inside US supply chains, workforce development and regional industrial renewal.

The momentum was evident in Washington DC where Amazon and Enterprise Ireland convened senior Irish and US business leaders ahead of St Patrick’s Day to showcase the increasingly symbiotic economic relationship.

Paying it forward

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD, told attendees that the partnership “is one of the most dynamic and mutually beneficial relationships in the world today”, noting that Irish companies are now “embedding themselves into the fabric of American industry” through large‑scale investment, job creation and advanced manufacturing.

Amazon, which has invested more than €22 billion in Ireland over two decades, credited Irish engineering and construction firms with helping the company build global cloud infrastructure and affirmed its intention to remain a long‑term partner.

The company’s senior leadership highlighted the growing sophistication of Irish suppliers delivering power systems, modular construction and data‑centre technologies at global scale.

Since 2004, Amazon has opened six sites across the country, including a fulfilment centre in Dublin’s Baldonnell Business Park, delivery stations in Ballycoolin, data centres, and two corporate offices in Cork and Dublin. In total, Amazon employs around 6,500 people in Ireland across Amazon and AWS. Amazon’s Project Fastnet, its first wholly owned transatlantic subsea fibre optic cable connecting Maryland and County Cork, is set to become operational in 2028. Amazon recently launched Amazon.ie, bringing hundreds of millions of products to Irish customers.

“In turn, Irish companies are now investing billions in the United States, creating jobs from Virginia to Kentucky and embedding themselves into the fabric of American industry,” the Taoiseach said.

“What we are celebrating today is a partnership that has strengthened Amazon’s success globally and accelerated the growth of Irish companies on the world stage. That is what a true economic partnership looks like, and it is delivering for both our countries.”

Ireland now 5th largest source of FDI into the US

Enterprise Ireland data shows cumulative Irish investment in the US has reached $389 billion, making Ireland the 5th‑largest source of FDI into the United States.

In 2024 alone, Ireland was the largest source of new US investment expenditures at $30.1 billion. More than 125,000 Americans are employed directly by the top ten Irish firms, with hundreds of thousands more supported indirectly. Ireland now accounts for more US manufacturing jobs than any other country, with 43,100 roles recorded in 2024.

Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, described the moment as “a powerful illustration of Irish enterprise scaling globally”, pointing to a wave of multibillion‑dollar US commitments from leading firms across construction materials, food production, digital infrastructure and energy‑efficient building systems.

She noted that Irish innovation in power systems, automation and advanced manufacturing is giving US corporations “a competitive edge in industrial efficiency, sustainability and digital transformation”.

“The collaboration between Amazon and Irish companies has had an immense impact. Irish high-tech construction companies bring world-class capabilities in power systems, modular construction, sustainable building solutions and low-carbon construction methods that are setting new standards for data centre delivery globally.

“That expertise is translating into significant job creation across America, with the top ten Irish employers supporting over 125,000 Americans and Irish companies committing to billions of dollars in U.S. capital investment over the coming years to 2030.”

Regional America is emerging as a particular beneficiary. Kentucky has become a focal point of new Irish activity, from Portwest’s distribution operations in Shepherdsville to Kingspan’s expanding network of sites across rural counties, including a major new facility in Barren County. Partnerships with US conglomerates such as Nucor, headquartered in the state, are also accelerating industrial reinvestment.

Additional growth is coming from Ireland’s high‑tech construction sector, which has expanded by more than 22% annually over the last five years. Firms such as CEL Critical Power, H&MV Engineering and Midland Steel are increasingly central to America’s data‑centre and grid‑modernisation boom, winning long‑term contracts associated with the rapid rise of AI‑scale computing.

Looking to the 2026–2030 horizon, Irish companies have outlined more than $6 billion in new US capital spending commitments. Enterprise Ireland expects the US to remain the primary growth engine for Irish multinationals across manufacturing, digital technologies, life sciences and industrial automation.

With more than 70 global business events planned for St Patrick’s Day –  34 of them in the US – the agency aims to deepen networks connecting Irish innovation with American industrial demand.

Examples of Irish company investments in the United States

Advanced Manufacturing, Construction & Data centre Infrastructure

• CEL Critical Power:
  • $40m investment in a 400,000 sq ft manufacturing plant in Williamsburg, Virginia.
  • 250 high‑skilled jobs, rising to 500 by 2030.
  • Produces modular power systems and “Power Pods” for AI‑scale infrastructure.
• H&MV Engineering:
  • Expansion of US operations delivering high‑voltage power infrastructure using modular substations.
  • Supports national grid‑connected data centre builds.
• Midland Steel:
  • Exclusive US licensing agreement with Nucor, the largest American steel producer.
  • FasterFix modular rebar system reduces build times by 75% and labour by 80%.
  • Embedded in US circular‑supply‑chain steel production.

Large‑Scale Industrial & Materials Expansion

• Smurfit WestRock:
  • Committing $1 billion per year in US capital investment for the next five years.
  • Largest listed packaging company globally; 32,000 US employees across 300 locations.
• CRH (largest building materials company in North America):
  • Workforce of 50,000 across 48 states.
  • Major expansion including acquisition of Eco Material Technologies for $2.1 billion.
  • New finance hub in Georgia employing 300+ people.
• Kingspan:
  • Forecasting $1 billion in US capital spending over five years.
  • 2,700 US employees, 32 sites across 17 states.
  • Tate (its US subsidiary) investing $62.1m in a new Kentucky facility with 400 new jobs.
• Glanbia:
  • Significant portion of $100m–$110m 2026 capex allocated to US expansion in New Mexico and Ohio.
  • Nearly 4,000 employees, 20+ production facilities, multiple innovation centres.
• Kerry Group:
  • Over $5 billion cumulative US investment.
  • Opening a new $45m Pennsylvania facility in September 2026.
  • Employs 5,000 across 19 states; spends $1.5bn annually on US raw materials.

Transport, Energy & Retail Infrastructure

• Applegreen:
  • Over €1 billion invested in the US since 2014.
  • Workforce of 7,000 across 110+ sites.
  • Current $70m Colorado investment for four new service areas creating 400 jobs.

Technology, Automation & Payments

• Tines (enterprise workflow automation):
  • Creating 100 new US jobs in Boston, a 42% expansion of US headcount.
• Fexco:
  • Multi‑million‑euro investment in payUnite, processing $20bn annually.
  • Expanding into US hospitality, airline and retail sectors.
• Workhuman:
  • Co‑headquartered in Massachusetts, serving 7 million employees on its recognition platform.
  • Significant US customer base among Fortune 500 firms.

Consumer Goods & Distribution

• Portwest (workwear and PPE):
  • North American distribution hub in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
  • Same‑day or next‑day delivery to 60% of the US population.

Top image: Niamh Gallagher, AWS Country Lead, Ireland; Taoiseach Micheál Martin, TD; Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland; and Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Irish Ambassador to the United States

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