The Real AI Talent War Is for Plumbers and Electricians

“We always have far more people applying than we actually accept into our apprenticeship programs,” explains Madello. How many trainees are admitted, he adds, depends largely on how many union members are expected to retire in the coming years.

One problem, however, is getting people trained quickly enough to work on data center projects. Quinonez says the job itself isn't very different from other plumbing jobs, but data centers are built on strict schedules, leaving little room for delays or mistakes.

This is important because apprentices typically learn on the job alongside more experienced plumbers on active construction sites. On data center projects, says Quinonez, companies are much less willing to take risks, because even small mistakes can delay a project.

“It can be very costly for a contractor if something goes wrong,” he explains. Apprentices and trainees, he adds, may have to go through “more rigorous training” before being assigned to help build a data center.

David Long, CEO of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), says the group has done a good job of keeping retirements at bay by training new electricians. But the scale and technical demands of data center projects have made it a “challenge” — which he claims NECA adequately meets — to ensure all workers are on board quickly and safely.

Charles White, who oversees regulatory affairs at PHCC, tells WIRED that there are plenty of incentives for plumbers, pipelayers and HVAC technicians to work on data centers. The projects typically offer higher pay than other types of construction, in part because of their tight schedules, which make it more likely that workers will log overtime.

White adds that high demand for plumbers encourages workers to change employers, and they are often tempted by the longer hours and therefore better pay is offered by data center developers.

“I actually hear these stories all the time,” Quinonez tells WIRED. “You're going to get paid quickly because you're dealing with an Amazon, or a Google, or a big tech company. So there's competition across the board.”

“The competition is getting fierce,” adds Quinonez. “And part of the problem is there just aren't enough plumbers and HVAC technicians.”

In every industry, companies are always competing for a limited pool of manpower. But in construction, Madello says, some of the pressure is offset by the reserve of traveling tradesmen, who are ready to show up “any time you're building something in the middle of nowhere.”

It is unclear how long the demand for traders will last after the artificial intelligence boom eventually begins to decrease. When construction ends, data centers typically keep a small crew on site around the clock, along with a network of outside contractors who handle repairs for multiple facilities.

“When the project is done, they don't screw with people,” White tells WIRED. “But you have all this stuff that needs to be maintained and systems operated. So a certain number of those people will stay around and get on a maintenance crew or an operation crew.”

If construction eventually declines, there may not be enough alternative jobs to go around, especially if the U.S. economy goes into recession. But for now, business is great, and how things will end remains anyone's guess. “Is it a sustained boom? Does it crash spectacularly?” says Basu. “Does the activity just gradually return when the heart of the boom is over?”