Who builds Montana's
data centers?

Montana is building 1 GW of new AI data centers across 1 sites. 0 MW is already running, and 1 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Quantica Infrastructure / Big Sky Digital Infrastructure (BSDI).

At the busiest point, about 1,920 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 Montana, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, electricians, and network/low-voltage technicians. 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 270 ironworkers, but only about 38 of Montana's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Montana short about 232. 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.

Electricians — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 540 electricians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~708 electricians Montana 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 120 network/low-voltage technicians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~182 network/low-voltage technicians Montana has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Pipefitters — could go either way. The data centers need about 210 pipefitters, and Montana has about 452 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 120 hvac/r technicians, and Montana has about 262 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Sheet metal workers — could go either way. The data centers need about 60 sheet metal workers, and Montana has about 130 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Welders — could go either way. The data centers need about 150 welders, and Montana has about 335 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 147 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 Montana, 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.