Proofpoint targets further expansion with Cork investment, new AI innovation center

Cybersecurity vendor Proofpoint has announced an expansion of its international hub in Cork, which includes the launch of a brand new AI innovation center.

Backed by the Irish Government through the IDA Ireland agency, the investment aims to bring new specialist roles to the city, including data scientists and specialists in AI and large language models (LLMs).

Proofpoint said its new AI Innovation Centre will create a ‘privacy-attested AI environment’ to ensure the safety and anonymity of all the data the company uses to train its AI models.

The location will also enable the acquisition of larger data sets, allowing Proofpoint’s LLMs to be used in high-volume, high-velocity cases and improve overall threat detection for organizations.

In an announcement, Proofpoint CFO Remi Thomas said the investment in Ireland is a critical element to the vendor’s international growth and its ability to protect European-based businesses.

“Today’s cyber attacks are growing in sophistication, and AI plays a critical role in an organization’s defence against these threats,” he explained.

“We are excited to tap into Cork’s technical talent base to further strengthen our industry-leading AI-driven solutions, enabling us to detect and prevent emerging threats at an unprecedented scale, while keeping data secure.”

Specialist jobs

Proofpoint said its latest investment will add 45 new specialist jobs to its Ireland operations, including data scientists and AI and LLM experts, with plans to reach 100 additional roles over the coming years.

To facilitate this workforce increase, the vendor is expanding its Cork office space and plans to add a security operations team, as well as increase roles across other functions such as its data security team.

“We have some of the most extensive human-centric threat intelligence data, which amplifies the power of our AI solutions, and ensures that our models are continuously improving and adapting to new threats,” said Kevin Leusing, chief technologist, EMEA, at Proofpoint.

“The launch of our AI Centre here in Cork will further enhance these capabilities by integrating the latest AI advancements with our unparalleled dataset, staying ahead of even the most sophisticated attackers.”

Peter Burke, Ireland’s minister for enterprise, tourism, and employment, described Proofpoint’s Cork expansion as a ‘clear reflection’ of the country’s success in attracting top companies to establish their international hubs.

“The creation of up to 100 new roles in the coming years, including in AI and large language models, further strengthens our position as a global technology and innovation hub,” he said.

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