US computer chip maker Intel is to invest €5 billion in its plant in Leixlip, Co Kildare to expand manufacturing.
The company said that global demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing is driving the need for an expansion here, which will create several hundred new jobs.
Work and Technology Correspondent Brian O’Donovan told RTÉ's Behind the Story the company has seen a big turnaround in the last year.
"It was almost to the day this time last year that I stood outside that campus talking about redundancies," he said.
Some 200 jobs were cut amid a rise in rival companies, such as Nvidia, who were making microchips for artificial intelligence.
However, Intel has seen its fortunes reversed thanks to a new CEO and investment from the US government, which took a 10% stake in the company last August.
Brian also explained that companies are still relying on legacy technology, which Intel continues to run.
Sam Neill remembered
Tributes are being paid to Northern Ireland-born actor Sam Neill, who died in Sydney.
The 78-year-old is best known for his roles in the Jurassic Park films and TV series Peaky Blinders.
Journalist Brian Lloyd said the actor was essentially plucked from obscurity to appear in his first big role.
"He was plucked from relative obscurity and put into this film by a mate of a mate," he said.
"He was told from the get-go, actually you have a real talent for this – and little by little he found his way into this".
He said 1989’s Dead Calm with Nicole Kidman showed off Neill’s versatility.
Mr Lloyd also recalls meeting Neill in London, where he told him he took a role in 1997’s Event Horizon "to pay for the winery."
You can listen to Behind the Story on the RTÉ Radio Player.
You can also find episodes on Apple here, or on Spotify here.
