AI Data Centers Face Skilled Worker Shortage

The boom in building artificial intelligence data centers continues unabated, with U.S. power demand likely to reach 106 gigawatts by 2035, according to a December report from research and analysis firm BloombergNEF. This represents a 36% jump from the company’s previous forecast, which was published just seven months ago. But there are severe constraints in the availability of energy, materials, and equipment, and perhaps most importantly, a shortage of skilled engineers, technicians, and craftsmen, which can turn a data center boom into a bust.

The power grid engineering workforce is currently shrinking, and data center operators are also hurting for trained electrical engineers. Demand for civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as construction management and oversight positions, has accelerated in recent months, says Laura Laltrillo, chief operating officer of Applied Digital. (Applied Digital is a data center developer and operator, and is building two data center complexes near Harwood, North Dakota, that will require 1.4 gigawatts of power when completed.) The growing demand for skilled workers has forced her company to expand its hiring pool.

“Since we anticipate a shortage of traditional engineering talent, we are importing from diverse industries,” Laltrillo says. “We’re looking for experts who understand power and cooling in sectors like nuclear, military, and aerospace. The experience doesn’t have to come from a data center background.”

Increasing demand for data center engineers

For every engineer needed to design, specify, build, inspect, commission, or operate a new AI data center, there are dozens of other jobs in short supply. According to the Association for Computer Operations and Management (AFCOM) 2025 State of the Data Center report, 58 percent of data center managers It identified multi-skilled data center operators as the top growth area, while 50 percent cited increased demand for data center engineers. Security professionals are also a critical need.

Over the next decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that nearly 400,000 additional construction workers will be needed by 2033. The largest needs of all are for energy infrastructure, electricians, plumbing, and HVAC, and approximately 17,500 electrical and electronic engineers. These categories directly define the skills required to design, build, operate, and operate modern data centers.

“The challenge is not just the absolute number of workers available, but the timing and intensity of demand,” says Bill Kleiman, author of the AFCOM report and CEO of Apollo AI Infrastructure. “Data centers are expanding at the same time as utilities, manufacturing, renewables, network infrastructure, and construction compete for the same pool of skilled workers, and AI is amplifying this pressure.”

Data center developers like Lancium and construction companies like Crusoe face enormous demands to build faster, larger, and more energy-dense facilities. For example, they are developing the Stargate project in Abilene, Texas for Oracle and OpenAI. The project has two buildings commissioned in October 2025, with six more scheduled to be completed by mid-2026. The entire AI data center campus, once complete, will require 1.2 gigawatts of power.

Lancium CEO Michael McNamara says his company can currently build enough AI data center infrastructure in one year to require one gigawatt of power. Big Tech wants to raise that capacity to 1 gigawatt per quarter, and eventually 1 gigawatt per month or less, he says.

This kind of intensification of the pace of construction would require tens of thousands of additional engineers. The engineering talent shortage is paralleled by persistent staff shortages in data center operations and facilities management specialists, electrical and mechanical technicians, high-voltage and power systems engineers, skilled HVAC technicians with experience in high-density or liquid cooling, and construction professionals familiar with complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) integration, says Matthew Hawkins, director of education at the Uptime Institute.

“Demand for each category is rising much faster than supply,” Hawkins says.

Technical colleges and applied education programs are some of the most effective drivers of workforce growth in the data center industry. They focus on practical skills, utility operations, power and cooling systems, and real-world career readiness. With the construction of many new data centers in Texas, workforce programs are popping up all over that state. One example is the Master of Science in Data Center Systems Engineering (MS DSE) from the SMU Lyle School of Engineering in Dallas. The program combines electrical engineering, information technology, facilities management, business continuity and cybersecurity. There is also a 12-week AI data center technician program at Dallas College and a similar program at Texas State Technical College near Waco.

“Technical colleges are on a mission to bring new talent to an industry experiencing explosive growth with an almost endless appetite for skilled workers,” says Wendy Schuchart, director of AFCOM.

Vendors and industry associations are working to address the talent gap as well. The Microsoft Datacenter Academy is a public-private partnership that includes community colleges in regions where Microsoft operates data center facilities. Google supports local nonprofits and colleges that offer training in IT and data center operations, and Amazon offers career training in data centers.

Siemens Educates America has surpassed 32,000 apprenticeships in 32 states, 36 plants and 72 partner industry organizations. The company has committed to training 200,000 electricians and electrical manufacturing workers by 2030. Likewise, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) runs the Electrical Training Alliance; The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) offers ToolingU-SME, with the goal of expansion Manufacturing workforce; And education at the Institute of Readiness The programs look to accelerate the readiness of technicians and operators.

“Every university we talk to is thinking about this challenge and changing their curricula to prepare students for the future of digital infrastructure,” Laltrillo said. “The best way to predict the future is to build it.”