IBM said it plans to hire up to 800 more people in Ireland to help build advanced software underpinned by AI technology, the state investment agency IDA Ireland said on Thursday.

The move by the US software and consultancy services provider marks the biggest job announcement in the country’s multinational sector this year.

IBM is already one of the largest multinational employers in Ireland with 3,000 staff. The new roles will require the employees to build advanced software based on generative artificial intelligence in high growth areas like security, automation and hybrid cloud.

According to RTE News, IBM said the availability of a talented workforce in Ireland was among the main reasons for the investment.

“As IBM continues to help organisations transform their businesses with hybrid cloud and AI, attracting, developing, and retaining talent remains a key priority,”  said James Kavanaugh, IBM’s senior vice president and chief financial officer.

The latest boost for Ireland’s economy comes as other globally recognised names continue to carry out their major operations in the country, including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce and Tencent.

As highlighted by IDA Ireland, the EU member state is home to 16 of the top 20 global tech companies and the top 3 enterprise software providers.