The AI boom is driving a massive infrastructure buildout across the U.S., creating new opportunities for skilled workers as demand for data centers and chip plants surges, according to Cole Renken, general manager of Merlo America.
– One of the world's hottest industries is sparking a blue-collar jobs boom
– From Netflix to GPS: 10 ways this hidden tech infrastructure quietly powers modern life
– OpenAI, 100+ companies warn of coming surge in AI-powered cyberattacks, call for global defense push
The boom is creating demand for electricians, plumbers, heavy-equipment operators and other skilled tradespeople needed to build and maintain the infrastructure powering the technology. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
HARD HAT HYPE: The race to build the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence is creating a new boom for America's blue-collar workforce, as construction firms scramble to fill jobs building data centers, power systems and the facilities that keep the technology running.
HIDDEN HARDWARE: Data centers are the hidden infrastructure behind much of modern life, powering everything from the apps on your phone and the shows you stream to online shopping, banking and artificial intelligence.
DIGITAL DEFENSE: OpenAI released a letter Thursday warning that within months, artifical intelligence (AI) models could become powerful enough to allow bad actors to launch increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks on hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure.
BEYOND THE GRID: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Wednesday that solar-powered facilities in space could tap the sun’s energy without competing for the land, water and grid capacity required by sprawling data centers proposed across the country.
BIG BROTHER: Automatic license plate reader (ALPR) companies have been brought under scrutiny by lawmakers in Washington as privacy hawks warn that the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence technology is testing the bounds of what ALPR devices can legally learn about drivers on the road.
COST CRUNCH: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang defended his decision to "rip the Band-Aid off" on the company’s gross margins as the chip giant continues to power some of the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence models.
OPINION: Data centers have gone from a niche policy issue to one of the most controversial topics of the midterm elections. Fewer than 30% of Americans support a data center being built in their community and the reason why is simple; the industry forgot about consumers.
AI apps Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. (Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
DIGITAL DOSSIER: AI companies are giving their assistants more ways to remember what you tell them. In some cases, AI can also draw from activity beyond a single conversation. That raises a bigger privacy question. What happens when an AI assistant can build a more detailed understanding of you over time?
MONEY TALKS: There’s an ugly political fight brewing in the Lone Star State over data centers, and both candidates running for Senate are racing each other to unveil their plans to slow the AI boom in Texas.
