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.
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.
The rapid buildout is putting a new premium on skilled trades, with data centers requiring armies of workers to prepare sites, pour concrete, install electrical systems and handle the infrastructure needed to bring them online.
"For many years, there's been a lack of focus just in general from what is the benefit of a career in the trades," explained Cole Renken, general manager of Merlo America, the U.S. division of Italian construction equipment manufacturer Merlo Group.
"It's a very stable income, very stable lifestyle that you can provide for," he added.
ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST MANUFACTURERS SAYS AI IS CREATING JOBS — NOT REPLACING THEM
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)
Now, the AI infrastructure boom could bring renewed attention to those careers.
U.S. construction spending is projected to climb from $2.22 trillion in 2026 to $2.85 trillion by 2031, according to a new report from Merlo America developed with predictive sales intelligence firm BiltData.ai. Industrial construction, which includes factories and data centers, is projected to reach $684 billion by 2031, representing 24% of total U.S. construction spending.
Much of that growth is being driven by the infrastructure needed to power AI, cloud computing and 5G, with data centers emerging as a major source of construction and industrial activity. And building those facilities requires skilled workers at nearly every stage of a project.
Renken said large projects require heavy-equipment operators to prepare sites and logistics workers to coordinate materials, followed by concrete workers, electricians, plumbers and other skilled trades as construction progresses. Electrical workers, he said, could face particularly high demand.
A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES
Data center development is surging across Texas, with North Texas taking the top spot in a new global ranking of the industry’s leading markets. (Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman/Getty Images)
And the jobs don't necessarily disappear once construction is complete.
Brittany Kaiser, CEO of AI infrastructure company Alpha Compute, told Fox News Digital that data centers require workers not only to build the facilities and energy infrastructure, but also to install equipment, monitor operations, perform maintenance and support future expansion.
