Who builds North Dakota's
data centers?

North Dakota is building 2.7 GW of new AI data centers across 9 sites. 200 MW is already running, and 2.5 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Applied Digital, CoreWeave, NextEra Energy Resources, Critical Data House.

At the busiest point, about 4,877 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 North Dakota, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, network/low-voltage technicians, electricians, sheet metal workers, 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 686 ironworkers, but only about 68 of North Dakota's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves North Dakota short about 618. 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 305 network/low-voltage technicians, but only about 118 of North Dakota'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 North Dakota short about 187. 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.

Electricians — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 1,372 electricians, but only about 788 of North Dakota's electricians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves North Dakota short about 584. 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 152 sheet metal workers, but only about 95 of North Dakota's sheet metal workers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves North Dakota short about 57. 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, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 533 pipefitters, but only about 412 of North Dakota's pipefitters are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves North Dakota short about 121. When builders cannot find enough pipefitters, 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 838 carpenters, but only about 708 of North Dakota's carpenters are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves North Dakota short about 130. 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.

HVAC/R technicians — worth training up: YES, big shortage. At the busiest point the data centers need about 305 hvac/r technicians, but only about 275 of North Dakota's hvac/r technicians are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves North Dakota short about 30. When builders cannot find enough hvac/r technicians, the ones already working put in overtime (bigger paychecks), and builders pay to train new people and bring in workers from other states.

Data center technicians — worth training up: YES. Once these data centers open they will need about 403 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 North Dakota, 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.