Silicon Valley firms invest in Northern Ireland

Plans by a number of leading Silicon Valley firms to establish facilities in Northern Ireland in the wake of the peace agreement have been welcomed by the province.

Executives from companies such as Adobe, Hewlett-Packard, and Xerox are known to have scheduled meetings with representatives from the Clinton administration and the mayor of San Jose, Susan Hammer, to discuss the plan.

The Northern Ireland-Silicon Valley Partnership Program, as it is currently known, promises to bring jobs to the region and boost an already growing high-tech sector.

A spokeswoman for Northern Ireland's Industrial Development Board said: "We've had some representatives over here recently, including William Daley, the US Secretary of Commerce. Nothing definite has happened, but we're optimistic."

Neal Graham, an investment executive at venture capitalist 3i, said the US companies are not just investing to help the peace process. "People in Northern Ireland see the future as being more technology driven, and with a well-educated population there, these companies have the potential to do well," he said.