Who builds Mississippi's
data centers?

Mississippi is building 2.9 GW of new AI data centers across 10 sites. 300 MW is already running, and 2.6 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Amazon (AWS), xAI, Compass, AVAIO Digital Partners.

At the busiest point, about 4,900 skilled workers will be on these sites at once, across all the trades. But the work is not split evenly — some trades will be short, and some will not. That is what decides whether it is worth training up.

Should you train up for this? It depends on the trade. In Mississippi, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, carpenters, electricians, network/low-voltage technicians, and pipefitters. Those are the best bets right now. Here is the read, trade by trade.

Ironworkers — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 689 ironworkers, but only about 128 of Mississippi's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Mississippi short about 561. When builders cannot find enough ironworkers, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Carpenters — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 842 carpenters, but only about 558 of Mississippi's carpenters are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Mississippi short about 284. When builders cannot find enough carpenters, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Electricians — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 1,378 electricians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~1,412 electricians Mississippi has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Network/low-voltage technicians — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 306 network/low-voltage technicians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~425 network/low-voltage technicians Mississippi has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Pipefitters — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 536 pipefitters at the busiest point — close to all of the ~762 pipefitters Mississippi has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Sheet metal workers — could go either way. The data centers need about 153 sheet metal workers, and Mississippi has about 285 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

HVAC/R technicians — could go either way. The data centers need about 306 hvac/r technicians, and Mississippi has about 740 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Data center technicians — worth training up: YES. Once these data centers open they will need about 419 data center technicians to run them, day and night. These are permanent jobs, and there are not enough local data center technicians to fill them — so they hire and train. Steady, long-term work.

These are some of the best-paying jobs you can get without a four-year degree. When a trade is short, builders run overtime and pay to train, and experienced workers can clear $100,000 a year, with health care and a pension through the union.

The building jobs run for a few years; the jobs that run the data centers last longer. Either way, a shortage is good news if you are in that trade. To start in Mississippi, look at the apprenticeship programs for the trade you want. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.