Who builds South Dakota's
data centers?
South Dakota is building 500 MW of new data centers across 1 sites. Here is the work that means for the trades — and why there are not enough workers for it.
Worth training up for in South Dakota?
YES means the data centers will need more of that trade than South Dakota can spare — so they pay well, pay to train, and run overtime. NO means there are already plenty.
"Short" means the data centers need more of that trade at the busiest point than the area has free to take on new work. Most workers stay on their regular jobs; only about 1 in 4 are free for big new projects like these.
Will South Dakota have enough workers?
At the busiest point of the build. Bars to the left mean a shortage (good if you are in that trade). Bars to the right mean workers to spare.
What this means if you work a trade in South Dakota
South Dakota is building 500 MW of new AI data centers across 1 sites. 0 MW is already running, and 500 MW is still being built. The biggest builders here are Gemini Data Center SD LLC.
At the busiest point, about 960 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 South Dakota, 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 135 ironworkers, but only about 118 of South Dakota's ironworkers are free to take it on — the rest are busy with their regular jobs, which do not stop. That leaves South Dakota short about 17. 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 — could go either way. The data centers need about 60 network/low-voltage technicians, and South Dakota has about 140 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 270 electricians, and South Dakota has about 698 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 105 pipefitters, and South Dakota already has about 450 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 30 sheet metal workers, and South Dakota already has about 135 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 60 hvac/r technicians, and South Dakota already has about 282 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 165 carpenters, and South Dakota already has about 1,110 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 74 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 South 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.
Every trade, by the numbers
| Trade | Needed at peak | Free to take it on | Short or extra | New data-center jobs | Train up? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 270 | 698 | 428 spare | 19 | CLOSE |
| Carpenters | 165 | 1,110 | 945 spare | — | NO |
| Ironworkers | 135 | 118 | short 17 | — | YES |
| Pipefitters | 105 | 450 | 345 spare | — | NO |
| Welders | 75 | 870 | 795 spare | — | NO |
| HVAC/R technicians | 60 | 282 | 222 spare | 8 | NO |
| Network/low-voltage technicians | 60 | 140 | 80 spare | 4 | CLOSE |
| Plumbers | 45 | 450 | 405 spare | — | NO |
| Data center technicians | — | 58 | short 16 | 74 | YES |
| Sheet metal workers | 30 | 135 | 105 spare | — | NO |
| Elevator mechanics | 15 | — | — | — | — |
"Needed at peak" is the most of that trade working across all the building at the busiest time. "Free to take it on" is how many local workers could move to data-center jobs — about 1 in 4 of the trade; the rest keep their regular jobs. "Short or extra" is the gap. "New data-center jobs" are permanent jobs that stay once a data center opens. "Train up?" is YES when the work needs more than the area can spare (so they pay well and pay to train), NO when there are plenty already. Elevator mechanics are left out of the verdict because their work depends on the building's design.
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