TikTok to spend US$500mil on first EU data centre in Ireland

TikTok's new European data centre is expected to be operational by early 2022. — AFP Relaxnews

TikTok, the embattled video-sharing app that’s found itself at the centre of Washington-Beijing tensions, is setting up its first data centre in Europe with a €420mil (RM2.08bil) investment in Ireland, the company announced.

Promising to create hundreds of jobs, improve "the safeguarding and protection of TikTok user data” and shorten loading times for users in Europe, the new data centre is expected to be operational by early 2022. Once it goes online, European user data will be stored at that location, TikTok said. The outfit established its EMEA Trust and Safety Hub in Dublin earlier in the year and said the new investment "signals our long-term commitment to Ireland.”