AI data center boom minting new class of 6-figure jobs what it means for housing: Nvidia CEO

Workers in America are eyeing blue-collar trades—such as construction, plumbing, and steelwork—with new interest.Even CEOs like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang are on that list. Huang recently predicted that the next wave of six-figure jobs won’t come from Silicon Valley, but from the crews building the data centers powering it.These jobs pay over $100,000, require no college degree, and are desperate for bodies: hundreds of thousands of electricians, laborers, and supervisors, with nowhere near enough people to fill the roles.Skilled trades are already stretched thin, and the same shortage now competing for data center construction crews is one more strain on a housing industry that can’t build fast enough.“The shrinking and aging construction labor force is a major issue in the homebuilding industry right now, leading to increased labor costs and longer construction timelines for new homes,” says Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner.“Where zoning may completely prevent some projects from being started, the labor shortage could prevent them from completed profitably and on time.”So, the question becomes, can the country push its young workforce toward these jobs—and will housing markets feel the difference as workers potentially move from data centers to homes?It depends who you ask.Huang’s prediction is already playing out in paychecks.

Workers moving into data center construction are seeing pay jumps of 25% to 30% over their previous jobs, according to the Wall Street Journal, and sometimes far more: An Ohio drywall contractor who took a supervisor role overseeing 200 workers at a data center site now makes over $100,000 a year, while an electrician managing crews across six sites in Northern Virginia tops $200,000.Those wages are a function of scarcity.Data center construction starts approached $80 billion nationally in 2025, nearly triple the previous year’s figure, according to ConstructConnect.

If this work is going to con...