Video app TikTok said it will set up its first European data center in Ireland.

Ireland is one of Europe's biggest hubs for data centers and already hosts operations for major technology companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google, TikTok said.

In a blog post, TikTok global CISO Roland Cloutier said, "This investment in Ireland, to the value of approximately €420million, will create hundreds of new jobs and play a key role in further strengthening the safeguarding and protection of TikTok user data, with a state of the art physical and network security defense system planned around this new operation. This new regional data centre will deliver tangible benefits, including enabling faster loading time that will help our TikTok community to enjoy an even better experience. When our data centre is operational, European user data will be stored in this new location. Ireland already plays a key role in our rapidly expanding European operations. Since establishing our EMEA Trust and Safety Hub in Dublin at the start of this year, we have rapidly expanded our team and appointed senior leaders who are continuously enhancing the strategies, policies and processes designed to keep people on TikTok safe."

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: “TikTok’s decision to establish its first European data centre in Ireland, representing a substantial investment here by the company, is very welcome and, following on from the establishment of its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin earlier in the year, positions Ireland as an important location in the company’s global operations.”

Cloutier added, "This data centre signals our long-term commitment to Ireland and we expect the data centre to open and be operational by early 2022. We are continuing to work on the details with our key partners, including the IDA and we will share more updates on our progress in the near future."