Data Centers in Carlow

Carlow – A Resilient Edge for the Irish Southeast

Executive Summary

Carlow serves as a strategic relief market for the high-density Dublin corridor, offering a low-risk environment for disaster recovery and regional edge compute. This location is ideal for enterprises that require proximity to pharmaceutical and financial clusters without the overhead of primary metro hubs.

Carlow: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Carlow functions as a sturdy relief point for regional traffic, providing reliable links for the broader Irish backbone.

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Carrier count: over 5 as of January 2026. While the local provider count is selective, established players ensure reliable transit for regional workloads.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: 0, enabling access to 0 cloud regions as of January 2026. There are no direct on-ramps physically located in Carlow. Local operators utilize private transport and high-capacity waves to reach major cloud hubs in Dublin, approximately 85 kilometers away.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): Public exchange presence is limited locally as of January 2026. Most peering occurs through private interconnects or by backhauling traffic to INEX in Dublin.

Bare Metal: Resilient bare metal services are available through local specialists as of January 2026. Global providers such as Leaseweb or OVHcloud can be leveraged via regional transport links to support hybrid deployments.

Power Analysis

Energy infrastructure in Carlow is characterized by high availability and a growing share of renewable inputs.

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity is approximately €0.21/kWh as of January 2026. This pricing reflects the broader Irish energy market, which is influenced by a mix of roughly 40% renewables and 60% natural gas. This stable pricing structure helps businesses manage operational expenses effectively.

Power Grid Reliability: The local grid is reliable and supported by multi-substation configurations as of January 2026. Redundant paths ensure that regional data center operations maintain consistent uptime without frequent utility interruptions.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

The business environment in Carlow supports tech-driven growth through specific financial advantages and a strategic location.

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers here are centrally located for the southeast region as of January 2026. This provides low-latency access to the Carlow Institute of Technology and the cluster of pharmaceutical and financial services firms in the area.

Regional Market Reach: Carlow effectively serves the population centers of the southeast, including Kilkenny and Waterford. This makes it a purpose-built spot for localized edge caching and regional service delivery as of January 2026.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: The primary financial benefit is a specific exemption from the 6% sales tax on data center equipment as of January 2026. This reduces the capital expenditure required for hardware refreshes and initial deployments.

Natural Disaster Risk

Carlow maintains a very low risk profile, making it a safe harbor for critical data assets as of January 2026.

Risk Label: Low (2.1/10)

• Coastal Flood: 5.9. This is an indirect regional risk as Carlow is inland.
• River Flood: 3.5. Minor risk managed through standard site selection and drainage infrastructure.
• Natural Hazards (General): 2.2. Reflects the overall stability of the Irish midlands.
• Tsunami: 1.8. Listed as an indirect regional risk and not a direct threat to inland facilities.
• Drought: 0.5. Negligible impact on cooling operations.
• Earthquake: 0.1. Seismically inactive region.