00:00A dire electrician shortage is putting the AI data center boom at risk.
00:04So there is a big hurdle in the way of tech companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft
00:10in order to build out these big data centers, and that is electricians.
00:14So the IBEW is the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,
00:18one of the largest trade unions in the United States.
00:21And they estimate that electrical work accounts for 45 to 70% of the construction costs associated with data centers.
00:28Microsoft President Brad Smith has identified electrical talent shortages as the number one problem
00:34slowing their data center expansion across the country.
00:37And it all comes down to the numbers.
00:39Over the next decade, 200,000 electricians are expected to retire.
00:43And there's also a need for some 300,000 new net electricians,
00:48really just emphasizing the need for so many electricians around the country.
00:52And the IBEW literally calls this a life or death situation for these big tech companies.
00:57So companies are trying to invest in the training needed to support more electricians.
01:02And Google has pledged $15 million and formed a partnership with the Electrical Training Alliance
01:07to help boost the infrastructure needed to support more electrical worker training.
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