Who builds Oklahoma's
data centers?

Oklahoma is building 1.9 GW of new AI data centers across 12 sites. 135 MW is already running, and 1.8 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Google, Meta, Cerebras, IREN.

At the busiest point, about 3,379 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 Oklahoma, the data centers look most short on ironworkers and carpenters. 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 475 ironworkers, but only about 202 of Oklahoma's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Oklahoma short about 273. 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, tight. The data centers need about 581 carpenters at the busiest point — close to all of the ~952 carpenters Oklahoma has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Network/low-voltage technicians — could go either way. The data centers need about 211 network/low-voltage technicians, and Oklahoma has about 442 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Electricians — could go either way. The data centers need about 950 electricians, and Oklahoma has about 2,138 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Pipefitters — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 370 pipefitters, and Oklahoma already has about 1,778 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

HVAC/R technicians — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 211 hvac/r technicians, and Oklahoma already has about 1,205 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 106 sheet metal workers, and Oklahoma already has about 672 free for this kind of work. Plenty. Still steady work, but no special data-center shortage.

Data center technicians — worth training up: YES. Once these data centers open they will need about 279 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 Oklahoma, 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.