Data from greenfield investment monitor fDi Markets shows a steady annual increase in the number of FDI projects in Ireland's software sector since 2003. Complementing this increase in project numbers, capital investment and job creation have also increased. Capital expenditure peaked in 2011, and data for the first nine months of 2012 shows that more jobs have been created in this time than in the whole of 2011.

Between January 2003 and September 2012, a total of 297 software FDI projects were recorded in Ireland. Capital expenditure amounted to $8.49bn, which is an average of $28.6m per project. During this time, a total of 24,941 jobs were created.

Project numbers peaked in 2011, when 53 investments were made in the Irish software sector, representing a 33% increase on 2010 when 40 projects were recorded. There were 3874 jobs created in the year – the highest number on record – and capital investment amounted to $1.05bn. Capital expenditure between 2010 and 2011 increased by 16%, from $867m to $1.05bn, and job creation increased by 26%, from 3071 to 3874.

Investment from US-based companies generated the highest number of jobs – 19,065 – between January 2003 and September 2012. US-based firms also invested the largest amount, accounting for $6.83bn of the $8.49bn invested, or 80%. US-based Google created the highest number of jobs in Ireland between 2003 and 2012, at 2615. This was followed closely by US-based eBay, which created 2050, and US-based IBM, which created 1763 jobs.