Image: Aerial view of the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas. Courtesy of OpenAI
What is “Stargate”?
The Stargate Project is a joint-venture initiative involving OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and investment firm MGX.
Its aim is to invest up to $500 billion over the next several years to build AI infrastructure via new data centers across the U.S.
The first deployment is in Abilene, Texas (with “Project Ludicrous” being an early build) and the pipeline now includes multiple proposed or announced sites in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and elsewhere.
As of late 2025, five new U.S. sites were announced, bringing the planned capacity of Stargate to nearly 7 gigawatts and pushing the investment pipeline above $400 billion.
So, Stargate is essentially a massive infrastructure build program targeted at creating the compute (and physical) backbone for future AI scale.
Projected Skilled Trade Job Demand by Phase & Region
Below is a projected breakdown of trade job demand under plausible scenarios. These are estimates, not guaranteed forecasts, intended to illustrate relative scale and timing.
1. Construction / Build Phase
This is where the bulk of trade jobs will appear. The magnitude depends heavily on the size of each build, overlap among sites, and complexity of systems (power, cooling, redundancy, etc.).
Region | Peak Construction Trades Demand (annual, estimate) | Duration | Key Trades Likely in Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
Texas (Abilene + surrounding counties) | 2,000 – 5,000 tradespeople across all phases (electrical, mechanical, HVAC, controls, piping, structural) | ~2–3 years per major phase | High-voltage electricians, HVAC / cooling techs, control systems installers, plumbing / fire suppression, steel / fabrication, cabling / fiber |
New Mexico | 800 – 2,000 | ~1–2 years | Similar trade mix; perhaps less baseline local capacity |
Ohio (Lordstown / Midwest sites) | 1,000 – 3,000 | ~1–3 years | Steel trades, electrical, HVAC, cabling, infrastructure |
Midwest / other wave states | 500 – 2,000 | 1–2 years | Varies depending on local infrastructure and site complexity |
These peak numbers are rough multipliers based on typical large-scale data center builds and analogies from large industrial / power plant construction. The actual numbers could vary widely upward or downward.
2. Commissioning, Testing & Start-up Phase
Once structures and major systems are in place, skilled trades and specialists are needed to test, tune, calibrate, validate, and bring systems online.
This phase draws perhaps 5–15% of the peak construction labor (depending on scale).
Trades such as instrumentation, controls, commissioning electricians, HVAC balancing, systems integrators are busiest.
Duration is often several months per site, overlapping with tail end of construction.
3. Ongoing Operation & Maintenance (Full-Time)
After buildout, the steady-state demand is much lower but continuous. Some portions of trade demand will persist for the life of the facility.
Region | Estimated Full-time Trade / Tech Roles | Key Functions |
|---|---|---|
Abilene / main Texas hub | 300 – 600 | Maintenance electricians, HVAC / cooling techs, controls engineers, facility mechanics, instrumentation |
New Mexico | 100 – 300 | Similar mix scaled to the site |
Ohio / Midwest | 150 – 400 | Site-specific operations trades |
Combined across all Stargate sites | 800 – 1,500+ | Aggregate stable operations workforce |
These numbers assume that each site will maintain a staff to support 24/7 uptime, preventive maintenance, monitoring, and occasional upgrades / repairs.
Summary & Strategic Considerations
The trade job opportunity from Stargate is front-loaded in construction, then shifts to lower but stable roles in operations.
Regions that host Stargate sites (Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, Midwest) have a chance to capture significant economic benefit from trade employment — assuming they build local trade capacity.
Workforce development agencies, vocational schools, and trade unions should anticipate and scale up training in data center–specific skills (precision cooling, redundant systems, controls, etc.).
Regions with less current infrastructure could face trade capacity deficits, which might lead to external labor being imported rather than local benefit capture.
The scale is large: even conservative estimates suggest multiple thousands of trade job-years over the next decade from Stargate alone.
Get Involved
Whether you’re a tradesperson or a contractor, now’s the time to engage with your state’s workforce initiatives and training providers.
👉 If you’re hiring: post your open roles or explore TradesmenUp’s job board to connect with qualified tradespeople in HVAC, electrical, plumbing, welding, and more.
👉 If you’re looking for work: create a profile and discover skilled trades jobs across the country.
