Who builds Pennsylvania's
data centers?

Pennsylvania is building 8.2 GW of new AI data centers across 14 sites. 348 MW is already running, and 7.9 GW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Amazon (AWS), QTS, Prologis (developer; tenant undisclosed), Unknown (Air Products as developer/applicant).

At the busiest point, about 15,109 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 Pennsylvania, the data centers look most short on ironworkers, sheet metal workers, 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 2,125 ironworkers, but only about 322 of Pennsylvania's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves Pennsylvania short about 1,803. 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.

Sheet metal workers — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 472 sheet metal workers at the busiest point — close to all of the ~585 sheet metal workers Pennsylvania has free for this kind of work. Expect overtime, steady work, and builders willing to train.

Electricians — worth training up: YES, tight. The data centers need about 4,250 electricians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~5,465 electricians Pennsylvania 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 944 network/low-voltage technicians at the busiest point — close to all of the ~1,248 network/low-voltage technicians Pennsylvania 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 1,653 pipefitters, and Pennsylvania has about 3,498 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Carpenters — could go either way. The data centers need about 2,597 carpenters, and Pennsylvania has about 7,475 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.

Welders — probably not, just for this. The data centers need about 1,180 welders, and Pennsylvania already has about 4,015 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 1,208 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 Pennsylvania, 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.