Wisconsin needs
network/low-voltage technicians for its data centers
Wisconsin is building 2.9 GW of new data centers. Here is how much network/low-voltage technicians work that makes — and why there are not enough network/low-voltage technicians for it.
Network/low-voltage technicians for Wisconsin's data centers: about 307 to spare.
Will Wisconsin 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 for network/low-voltage technicians in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is building 2.9 GW of new AI data centers across 7 sites. On a data center, network/low-voltage technicians run and connect the cables and fiber that wire the computers together.
Network/low-voltage technicians — could go either way. The data centers need about 345 network/low-voltage technicians, and Wisconsin has about 652 free for this kind of work. Enough to mostly cover it, but it will be busy, with some overtime.
Wisconsin has 7 data-center sites in the works, with 2.9 GW still to build. That keeps network/low-voltage technicians busy for years: as one job winds down, the next one is starting, so the work does not dry up after a single build.
Wisconsin network/low-voltage technicians earn about $59,630 a year on average. Data-center work pays more than that, and when a trade is short, overtime can push experienced network/low-voltage technicians well over $100,000 a year, with health care and a pension through the union.
It is the same across the country: builders cannot find enough skilled workers. The U.S. needs about 140,000 more trade workers by 2030 to build all the data centers, and most builders say hiring is their hardest problem. Microsoft's president has called the shortage of electricians the biggest thing slowing data centers down.
The building work runs a few years, not forever — but Wisconsin has enough lined up to keep you busy, and the skills carry over to every other big job in the state. To start, look at the Wisconsin network/low-voltage technicians apprenticeship programs. That is the way in. Sources: a national survey of data-center building plans, plus U.S. jobs and pay data.
Get network/low-voltage technicians job updates for Wisconsin
New Wisconsin data-center sites, tips on getting hired, and pay updates for network/low-voltage technicians.
READ THE NATIONAL NETWORK/LOW-VOLTAGE TECHNICIANS SWITCH GUIDE -- $9
National network/low-voltage technicians training, pay, and licensing context. This is not a Wisconsin-specific paid guide.
WISCONSIN PROGRAMS
The Wisconsin network/low-voltage technicians apprenticeship programs, schools, and licensing path.
The data centers behind these numbers
- Stargate Lighthouse Campus (Port Washington, WI) — Stargate / Vantage / Oracle / OpenAI, Port Washington (902 MW)
- Viridian Janesville GM Plant Data Center — Viridian Acquisitions LLC, Janesville (800 MW)
- Microsoft Fairwater Campus (Mount Pleasant) — Microsoft, Mount Pleasant (555 MW)
- Microsoft Fairwater 1 - Mount Pleasant (Phase 1) — Microsoft, Mount Pleasant (400 MW)
- Fairwater 1 Phase 2 / Second Wisconsin Campus — Microsoft, Mount Pleasant / Caledonia (400 MW)
- Meta Beaver Dam Campus — Meta, Beaver Dam (220 MW)