Who builds Nevada's
data centers?

Nevada is building 5.4 GW of new AI data centers across 18 sites. 273 MW is already running, and 5.1 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Tract, Switch, Google, CoreWeave.

At the busiest point, about 9,802 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 Nevada, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, network/low-voltage technicians, welders, electricians, and sheet metal workers. 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 1,378 ironworkers, but only about 262 of Nevada's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Nevada short about 1,116. 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.

Network/low-voltage technicians — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 613 network/low-voltage technicians, but only about 262 of Nevada's network/low-voltage technicians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Nevada short about 351. When builders cannot find enough network/low-voltage technicians, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Welders — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 766 welders, but only about 520 of Nevada's welders are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Nevada short about 246. When builders cannot find enough welders, 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, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 2,757 electricians, but only about 2,142 of Nevada's electricians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Nevada short about 615. When builders cannot find enough electricians, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Sheet metal workers — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 306 sheet metal workers, but only about 282 of Nevada's sheet metal workers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Nevada short about 24. When builders cannot find enough sheet metal workers, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Pipefitters — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 1,072 pipefitters at the busiest point — close to all of the ~1,332 pipefitters Nevada has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

HVAC/R technicians — could go either way. The data centers need about 613 hvac/r technicians, and Nevada has about 1,060 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 791 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 Nevada, 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.