Who builds New York's
data centers?

New York is building 5 GW of new AI data centers across 21 sites. 185 MW is already running, and 4.8 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are TeraWulf, DataBank, Sabey Data Centers, Stream Data Centers.

At the busiest point, about 9,235 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 New York, the data centers look most short on ironworkers. 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 1,299 ironworkers, but only about 798 of New York's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves New York short about 501. 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.

Welders — could go either way. The data centers need about 722 welders, and New York has about 1,952 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Network/low-voltage technicians — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 577 network/low-voltage technicians, and New York already has about 2,115 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

Electricians — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 2,597 electricians, and New York already has about 10,095 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

Sheet metal workers — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 289 sheet metal workers, and New York already has about 1,548 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

Pipefitters — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 1,010 pipefitters, and New York already has about 5,658 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

Carpenters — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 1,587 carpenters, and New York already has about 11,125 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

Data center technicians: once open, the data centers will need about 734 data center technicians to run them — steady, permanent jobs that New York can mostly fill.

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 New York, 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.