Artificial intelligence might sound like a field dominated by software engineers and mathematicians, but its rapid growth is also profoundly boosting demand for skilled trade workers in the United States. The resource-intensive nature of AI has driven everything from massive data center construction projects to upgrades in the power grid and renewable energy installations. Because of this, AI’s expansion is creating thousands of new jobs for electricians, construction laborers, HVAC technicians, and other trades. Here, we’re taking a look at how AI infrastructure growth is intertwined with skilled trades, the push to expand electrification and energy infrastructure, and the initiatives underway to train and upskill trade workers to meet this demand.
AI Data Centers and Robotics Fuel a Construction Surge
The race to build AI capabilities has set off an unprecedented boom in physical infrastructure. Tech giants are pouring billions into new data centers and specialized facilities for AI and robotics, and these projects rely on armies of skilled tradespeople on the ground. Companies like Meta and Microsoft have announced massive computing campuses across the U.S., each essentially a megaproject in construction. For example, Meta is investing $800 million in new data centers in Texas while Microsoft committed over $3 billion for a huge AI hub in Wisconsin – one site in Wisconsin alone is creating 2,300 construction jobs and will eventually support 2,000 permanent data center jobs. In another case, Meta’s upcoming AI data center in Louisiana will span four million square feet and require over 5,000 construction workers at its peak build-out. These construction sites, often likened to sprawling temporary cities, are a direct response to AI’s soaring demand for computational power.
Building and outfitting high-tech facilities on this scale demands a wide range of trade skills. Data centers need robust electrical systems and backup power, complex cooling and ventilation, advanced fire suppression, and more. It’s no surprise that projects to construct AI data centers are catalyzing an unprecedented surge in demand for tradespeople – including electricians, HVAC specialists, pipefitters, metalworkers, and construction managers. Even the tech companies acknowledge that without these traditional skills, their AI expansions would stall. Microsoft, for instance, noted that its plan to invest $80 billion in new AI-enabled data centers hinges on an ecosystem of construction firms, material suppliers, and skilled trades such as electricians and pipefitters to build and equip the facilities. As you can see, the AI revolution has a very concrete foundation: steel beams, power cables, cooling pipes, and the tradespeople who install them.
AI-driven automation is also boosting demand for skilled technicians in manufacturing and logistics facilities. Advanced warehouses and factories deploying AI-guided robots have discovered that “these machines don’t run themselves” and require human experts for setup, maintenance, and repairs. In fact, as industrial robotics become more prevalent, there is an increasing need for robotics technicians to handle the maintenance and repair of AI-powered robotic equipment. Rather than eliminating blue-collar jobs, the rise of AI and robotics is transforming them, creating new opportunities for tradespeople with mechatronics, electrical, and IT skills. The bottom line: wherever AI goes, a support network of skilled trades is needed to build it, keep it running, and literally keep the lights on.
Powering AI: Grid Expansion and Electrification Drive Trades
AI’s growth is also tangled with another seismic trend – the electrification of everything. The surge in data centers and digital devices means demand for electricity is skyrocketing after nearly 20 years of stagnation. Energy-hungry AI supercomputing clusters and cloud servers are driving utilities to expand capacity and upgrade the grid in ways not seen in decades. One recent study backed by the Department of Energy warned that U.S. data centers could triple their power usage in the next three years, reaching an astonishing 12% of the country’s entire electricity consumption. In practical terms, this has revealed a new bottleneck, with access to power being the biggest problem that tech giants have to solve for when racing to scale up AI in these data centers. Simply put, you can’t have advanced AI infrastructure without massive amounts of electrical infrastructure to feed it.
To meet these energy needs, the power industry is embarking on a wave of projects to build more power plants (including renewable energy farms), extend transmission lines, and upgrade aging electrical systems. Each of these projects is labor-intensive. The country will need not only new generation and transmission, but also the workforce to support them. This translates into jobs: utilities are hiring linemen to string high-voltage lines, electricians to wire up new EV charging networks, technicians to install solar panels and wind turbines, and construction crews to erect energy facilities. The transition to electric vehicles and clean energy is a big piece of this puzzle – for example, installing thousands of EV charging stations and grid-scale batteries requires electrical trade expertise at every step. As one industry piece noted, grid modernization and renewable energy builds are boosting demand for field trades, from power line workers to solar installers.
However, a looming shortage of skilled workers could slow these critical infrastructure efforts. The U.S. is already facing a shortfall of electricians, which threatens to stall the transition to renewable energy and other power-hungry booms like AI. Baby boomer retirements, a lack of young entrants, and the sheer volume of projects are contributing to this gap. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of electricians is projected to grow ~6% annually through 2032 – about 73,500 job openings for electricians each year, which is roughly double the average growth rate for all occupations. Yet currently, the pool of licensed electricians isn’t growing fast enough to keep up. Each year nearly 10,000 electricians retire or leave the trade, while only about 7,000 new electricians enter, creating an accumulating deficit. This shortage is already leading to project delays and higher costs in industries ranging from home construction to high-tech manufacturing.
It’s not just electricians. Construction labor in general is in high demand thanks to federal infrastructure investments and private development. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be about 663,000 construction job openings per year on average, and the median wage in construction trades now tops $55,000 – higher than the median for all jobs. Trades like HVAC technicians are also seeing growing need as buildings and data centers alike require advanced climate control systems (for instance, giant server farms depend on complex cooling towers and ventilation maintained by HVAC pros). In short, America’s push for electrification – from AI data halls to solar farms – is creating fertile ground for skilled trades careers, if the workforce can scale up in time.
From big cities to rural communities, AI and electrification trends are directly translating into boots-on-the-ground trade jobs to build the future.
Training and Upskilling the Next-Generation Trades Workforce
With demand for trades at a high, both industry and government are mobilizing to grow the skilled workforce. Recognizing that talent shortages could choke off AI and clean energy growth, stakeholders are investing in training programs, apprenticeships, and partnerships to funnel more people into these careers. Google recently warned that a shortage of electrical workers may “constrain America’s ability to build the infrastructure needed to support AI, advanced manufacturing and a shift to clean energy”. To tackle this, Google and other tech companies are stepping directly into workforce development. In 2025, Google announced a $10 million initiative to support the training of tens of thousands of U.S. electricians. The funds are being channeled through the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) – a joint apprenticeship program of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) – with the goal of training 100,000 new electricians and 30,000 apprentices across the country. This public-private effort will integrate AI tools into the curriculum and expand apprenticeship slots, aiming to increase the pipeline of electrical workers by 70% within the next five years. “This initiative with Google and our partners will bring more than 100,000 sorely needed electricians into the trade to meet the demands of an AI-driven surge in data centers and power generation,” said IBEW President Kenneth Cooper. It’s a striking example of a tech giant directly investing in the very blue-collar skills that underpin its digital ambitions.
Other companies have launched similar workforce programs tied to their infrastructure investments. Amazon’s AWS division, which operates huge data centers, has created local training pipelines in the communities where it builds. For instance, AWS developed an Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship Program – a paid, four-week hands-on training course that prepares participants for data center technician and infrastructure jobs. The curriculum, built in collaboration with AWS contractors, covers job safety, electrical and mechanical systems, fiber optics, and data center operations to give entry-level workers the skills needed on site. These efforts are yielding success stories: one recent trainee in Mississippi completed the program and by early 2025 had secured a full-time job as a data center operations technician at AWS, maintaining servers and hardware in a cutting-edge facility. AWS is also partnering with community and technical colleges to expand the talent pool. In 2024, AWS launched fiber optic splicing workshops at schools like Tolles Technical Center in Ohio, Holmes Community College in Mississippi, and Ivy Tech in Indiana, providing specialized training that leads directly to jobs with its fiber networking contractors. By collaborating with local educators and offering targeted certifications, tech companies are helping build a workforce where they need it most.
Unions, trade associations, and educational institutions are likewise ramping up efforts to attract and train the next generation of tradespeople. The established union apprenticeship programs remain a cornerstone: the IBEW-NECA Electrical Training Alliance operates nearly 300 training centers nationwide with about 55,000 apprentices currently enrolled. These programs combine paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction, and they are expanding capacity and modernizing curricula to meet emerging needs. (In fact, many apprenticeship programs now incorporate digital tools like augmented reality simulations for technical training, reflecting how trade education is evolving with technology.) The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) association similarly reported a 15% jump in apprenticeship enrollment in a recent year as more people flock to the field. There’s also a push to broaden the talent pipeline by reaching younger students and underrepresented groups. Trade organizations are going into high schools and even middle schools to promote skilled trades careers as high-paying, stable alternatives to the traditional four-year college path. Campaigns like the inaugural National Careers in Trades Week (April 2025), launched by the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) and allied unions, aim to raise awareness nationwide about the benefits of trade careers and “fill thousands of positions that are essential to the country’s economic growth.”. As SMACNA’s CEO put it, “Skilled professions play critical roles in building the world in which we live, work, and play – vital to the construction of chip plants, stadiums, healthcare facilities, factories, and data centers”. In other words, virtually every infrastructure project of the future, from high-tech to everyday, will depend on skilled trade workers.
Partnerships between industry, nonprofits, and educators are multiplying to bridge the skills gap. In Oregon, for example, the nonprofit Oregon Tradeswomen received funding from Google to expand its pre-apprenticeship programs for women interested in construction and electrical careers. The grant enabled free, eight-week training courses (with support services like childcare and transportation) that prepare women for entry into apprenticeships in carpentry, electrical work, plumbing and other trades. The outcomes have been impressive – the organization boasts an 87% job placement rate for program graduates, who often secure union apprenticeships or other well-paying trade jobs with benefits. By lowering barriers and reaching out to new demographics, such programs are widening the talent pool at a crucial time. Community colleges are also key players: in Arizona, Microsoft partnered with Estrella Mountain Community College to create a Datacenter Academy that equips students with the IT and facilities skills needed to work in cloud data centers. Similar public-private collaborations are being replicated in other regions flush with data center and clean energy projects.
Conclusion: A High-Tech Revival for the Trades
In the midst of America’s AI revolution, a perhaps unexpected consequence is the revival of skilled trades as indispensable roles. The more our economy leans on AI, cloud computing, and electrified technology, the more it needs electricians to wire the power, construction crews to build the facilities, HVAC technicians to manage cooling, and mechanics to maintain the machines. Far from making human workers obsolete, AI’s growth is creating a new wave of trade jobs and opportunities on a national scale. The connection between bytes and bricks is now clearly visible: a cutting-edge AI data center might contain thousands of advanced chips, but it also contains miles of electrical cable and plumbing assembled by human hands.
The challenge going forward will be to ensure the supply of skilled labor meets this rising demand. That means investing in education, apprenticeships, and partnerships to train people in these critical fields – and making sure these careers are attractive and accessible to diverse talent. The efforts by tech companies, trade schools, unions, and government described above are early steps toward that goal. If successful, they will not only prevent labor bottlenecks but also provide pathways to stable, well-paying careers for tens of thousands of Americans.
In the end, the AI era is heralding a renaissance for skilled trades. We may hear the most about the demand for engineers and coders, but the electricians pulling cable in a data center or the technicians servicing a wind turbine are just as vital in building our high-tech future. By recognizing and supporting these professions, the United States can ensure that innovation and infrastructure develop hand-in-hand. The rise of AI isn’t solely due to software engineers. It’s also reliant on infrastructure, training, and the people who will literally construct the next chapter of the American economy. We work with trades businesses on a daily basis at Align, and we’re excited to see such a bright future of growth for everyone in these fields.