Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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327. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number and percentage of Irish SMEs using cloud, big data and AI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28795/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The most recent European Commission’s annual report on the State of the Digital Decade, which includes the DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index) was published on 2nd July 2024. It states that 'with 66.1% of SMEs having at least a basic level of digital intensity, Ireland brings a very strong contribution to the EU’s Digital Decade target on digitalisation of SMEs'. The report found that Ireland's rate on ‘Take-up by enterprises of AI, data analytics, or cloud’ stands at 64.1%, surpassing the EU average of 54.6%.

The National Digital Strategy, Harnessing Digital, published in February 2022, set the Government’s target for 90% of SMEs having at least basic digital intensity and at least 75% take-up of AI, Cloud and Data Analytics by 2030.

Ensuring that Irish businesses leverage big data, cloud computing, and AI to grow our economy and bolster our competitiveness is a key priority for me, with a specific focus on the take-up of these technologies by SMEs.

Embracing AI and digital technologies is crucial for our continued economic growth and prosperity. One of the biggest opportunities around AI deployment is in bridging the productivity gap in our indigenous SMEs. While Tech companies are rapidly adopting new technologies, much of my Department’s focus is on driving increased usage of AI among small businesses in the non-tech sectors and domestically trading businesses. We continue to help companies to embrace both basic level digital tools for driving efficiencies and productivity and also to invest in more sophisticated tools where appropriate for their business.

My focus this year is to further drive awareness and adoption through our Enterprise Agencies, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) network, and the business representative bodies. To achieve this, the Department’s Grow Digital Portal is a key initiative showcasing digital success stories on how different (non-tech) businesses have embraced digital solutions to boost their operations.

My Department also provides a wide array of digital supports to assist businesses on their AI and digital adoption journey.

The Grow Digital Voucher provides up to €5,000 in funding to small businesses with up to 50 employees, enabling them to adopt digital technologies. Eligible expenditure under the voucher includes a broad range of digital tools and services, such as e-commerce and e-invoicing software, cybersecurity solutions, analytics platforms, and AI systems. Website development subscriptions are also covered, supporting businesses in enhancing their online presence.

The Digital for Business consultancy scheme, also offered through the LEOs, is a free consultancy service connecting businesses with expert digital consultants who help assess existing digital systems, identify gaps, and develop tailored plans for adopting new or enhanced digital solutions.

And as part of the Digital Europe Programme, the European Commission and EU Member States have established a network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). These Hubs support digital transformation in SMEs and public sector organisations by encouraging the adoption of the latest advances in the three key technologies of Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing. In Ireland, there are four EDIHs:

• FactoryxChange (FxC) led by the Irish Manufacturing Research in Mullingar,
• ENTIRE led by Tyndall National Institute in Cork,
• CeADAR, Ireland's Centre for Applied AI in UCD in Dublin,
• DATA2SUSTAIN led by Atlantic Technological University in Sligo.