Ministers welcome £115m investment by Seagate Technology

The First Minister and deputy First Minister have welcomed a major investment by Seagate Technology Holdings at its plant in Derry.

The £115 million investment over five years in the development of new hard drive technology will strengthen the position of Seagate’s North West facility as a world leader in nanophotonics R&D engineering and create a number of new jobs.  

Speaking during a visit to the site to mark the announcement, First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “Since Seagate established in Derry in 1993, it has become a world-class manufacturing facility and one of the area’s largest employers. The company continues to offer high quality jobs and career opportunities for local people and contributes millions of pounds to our economy.

“As an Executive we are committed to promoting regional balance, and this latest investment by Seagate is another welcome boost for the North West that will bring new jobs and significant benefits to local people and communities.”

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: “We want Northern Ireland to be at the forefront of global innovation and this investment demonstrates the strength of our talent and our capacity to compete on the world stage in cutting-edge technology sectors.

“The growth of Artificial Intelligence presents major opportunities and this substantial commitment from Seagate reinforces our position as a hub for innovation and technological excellence and will ensure we can continue to drive economic growth.”

A leading producer of mass data storage solutions, Seagate is working to develop technology for a 60TB+ hard drive. And its North West facility, which manufactures recording heads that read and write data on to hard disks, will play a critical role in the development of the next generation hard drive. 

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald, who also attended the announcement, said: “Seagate is not only part of our community in the North West, but a cornerstone of our growing economy here. 

“Today’s investment will support Seagate to ramp up productivity and create more good jobs. And it will further strengthen the strong R&D and manufacturing capabilities that are growing in reputation here.”

Seagate’s latest investment in the North West, which has been supported with £15m of funding from Invest NI, will see the creation of more than 30 highly skilled jobs, adding to the company’s current workforce of over 1,300 people at the site.

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Dr John Morris, Chief Technology Officer at Seagate, said: “As AI models grow more powerful and data creation accelerates, the need for high-capacity, high-performance, and economical mass storage becomes even more essential. Our Northern Ireland facility is at the heart of this transformation, with over twenty-five per cent of the world's recording heads now made here.

“With Invest NI’s support, this project will fast-track our development of 60TB and beyond capacities. We’re proud to continue investing in Northern Ireland, where our journey in revolutionary technologies began more than three decades ago.”

Kieran Donoghue, Chief Executive at Invest NI, said: “We have worked very closely with Seagate over the past three decades and have helped the facility here evolve into a world-leading manufacturing and pioneering R&D Centre. We are delighted to support the Seagate team with this latest project and secure the development of the new recording heads and laser technology in the North West.

“This puts Northern Ireland at the forefront of the company’s innovation plans and will enable it to ramp up productivity through state-of the-art equipment.  The Seagate and Invest NI teams will now work together to ensure the successful implementation of this major investment.”

SDLP Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin has welcomed today’s announcement, describing it as a major vote of confidence in the city and its workforce.

Ms. McLaughlin said: “This announcement by Seagate is hugely positive news for Derry and the wider North West. For more than thirty years, Seagate has been at the heart of our local economy and remains one of the city’s most important employers. This new £115 million investment underlines the strength of our workforce and the reputation we have built as a centre of excellence in research, development, and advanced manufacturing.

It will bring not only highly skilled jobs, but also a significant boost to our economy at a time when we urgently need new opportunities for people and families in this city.

Seagate’s continued commitment to our city is a reminder of what can be achieved when global companies see the potential that exists here. But we cannot ignore the fact that too many young people are still forced to leave our city to find opportunities elsewhere.

It is the job of the Executive and its Ministers to match the ambition of our people with real, long-term plans for skills, infrastructure, and investment so that we can attract more employers like Seagate and finally deliver the regional balance that has been promised time and again.’’