The data center buildout is driving blue collar job growth — and everything else is falling by the wayside

Data center construction spending is expected to grow. George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images Data centers aren't just powering your new favorite agent; they're also a key construction driver. The AI buildout is set to become the largest capital expenditure project in US history, dwarfing railroads and highways. Overall construction spending has fallen year-over-year, while data center spending has skyrocketed. Data centers are powering your chat ramblings — and the growth in the American construction industry. AI buildouts are set to become the largest capital expenditure project in US history, per a Brookings Institution analysis, outpacing spending on highways and railroads as a share of GDP. That massive spending and construction boom needs workers to — literally — prop it up.