When Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, said that “hundreds of thousands” of electricians, plumbers and carpenters will be needed to build the next wave of data centres, he pointed to a growing labour challenge. Speaking to Channel 4 News on 18 September 2025, Huang described the scale of construction needed to support artificial intelligence. His figure refers to the tradespeople required to build multiple facilities, not a hiring target announced by Nvidia, OpenAI or another company.
Huang’s comments come as global investment in data centre infrastructure accelerates, with companies such as Nvidia and OpenAI announcing plans for large-scale facilities. The term “AI factories,” as Huang calls them, refers to complexes housing processors and systems that power machine learning and generative AI. Building them draws on a broad range of trades. That includes electrical installation, pipefitting and plumbing, as well as work on cooling and HVAC systems. Equipment operators, welders, concrete workers and construction managers also contribute.
Skilled Trades central to AI Expansion
“If you’re an electrician, plumber or carpenter, we’re going to need hundreds of thousands to build all these factories,” Huang said. He did not specify a hiring target for any single company or country. Even one project can involve a sizable workforce: an industry estimate cited by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission and summarized by the Urban Institute puts peak staffing at about 1,500 workers for a typical 250,000-square-foot data centre.
That peak is temporary and should not be confused with the permanent workforce. Once operational, a typical facility of that size may employ roughly 50 full-time workers, including contractors, with teams focused on operations and technical support, alongside security staff. Construction jobs go to electricians and machinery operators, as well as HVAC technicians, welders and other specialists. In the US, some workers in these trades can earn more than $100,000 a year, particularly with overtime. National occupational figures, but, offer a more measured benchmark. US Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025 put median annual pay at $63,190 for electricians, $63,800 for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, and $60,580 for carpenters. The figures cover workers across the economy, not data-centre employees alone, and do not mean that tradespeople in these occupations typically earn more than $100,000.
The BLS projects an average of about 72,700 electrician job openings annually from 2025 through 2035, including openings caused by workers leaving their occupations or retiring. Its projections also indicate employment growth of about 9% for electricians, 7% for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, and 4% for carpenters over that period. These are nationwide estimates, not forecasts of data-centre hiring. The Urban Institute notes that data-centre and housing construction rely on many of the same skilled workers, including electricians and equipment operators, along with pipefitters and HVAC technicians. Rapid development can so intensify local competition for labour.
Spain’s Labour Shortage Intensifies
Spain is already feeling the strain. The latest report from the SEPE’s Occupations Observatory found that, in the final quarter of 2025, there were 95,340 job vacancies in construction, with nearly half remaining unfilled for over 90 days. Electricians, plumbers and construction technicians are among the hardest roles to fill, and the number of hard-to-cover positions in the sector has jumped by more than 70% since early 2023. The shortage stems from too few candidates and insufficient technical skills, compounded by an ageing workforce. More than 55% of workers in several trades are now older than 45.
As demand for data centres grows, Spain is seeing major projects that could generate thousands of jobs. For example, construction of eleven new data centres in Aragón is projected to create an average of 21,000 direct jobs between 2026 and 2029, though actual numbers will depend on project timelines and regulatory approvals.
Investment Surges, but Jobs Remain Elusive
The scale of investment is staggering. In September 2025, Nvidia and OpenAI announced a letter of intent to deploy at least ten gigawatts of Nvidia systems, with a potential phased investment of up to $100 billion. OpenAI’s February 2026 funding round followed, raising $110 billion, including $30 billion from Nvidia. The Stargate project, involving OpenAI and SoftBank, as well as Oracle and others, aims to invest $500 billion over four years in US infrastructure alone.
Yet these sums do not translate directly into permanent jobs. Most employment is concentrated during construction, while ongoing operations require far fewer staff. The number and location of roles also depend on access to energy and water, alongside permits and grid capacity.
Skilled Trades Gain New Value
Huang’s forecast points to a global trend: as AI infrastructure expands, skilled trades are becoming more valuable and harder to find. In Spain, SEPE data confirms that companies are already struggling to recruit electricians and plumbers, along with other technical professionals. For those considering a career in these fields, opportunities are emerging in construction and industrial maintenance, as well as renewable energy and electrical installations.
Data centre projects alone may not create “hundreds of thousands” of jobs in Spain, but the international trend is clear. Competition for qualified tradespeople is set to intensify, and the ability to attract and train new talent will be critical for the tech sector and the broader economy.
Large-scale developments are reshaping local economies and affecting other sectors. For instance, the expansion of Madrid Sur shopping centre in Vallecas has nearly tripled its retail space ahead of its 2026 opening. The project shows how major construction can change employment landscapes and lead demand for skilled workers across industries. The change of Madrid Sur is just one example of how infrastructure investment is reshaping Spain’s job market.
