Nvidia's Huang: AI boom will need electricians, not just coders

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told Carnegie Mellon University's Class of 2026 at their commencement ceremony that the artificial intelligence revolution represents the largest technology infrastructure buildout in human history and will create enormous demand for blue-collar workers like electricians, plumbers, and construction workers rather than just software engineers. "AI gives America the opportunity to build again," Huang declared at Gesling Stadium on Sunday. "Electricians, plumbers, iron workers, technicians, builders—this is your time." His remarks contrasted sharply with a scene at the University of Central Florida the previous day, where graduates booed speaker Gloria Caulfield after she described AI as the "next industrial revolution." Capital expenditure from the country's largest tech firms could reach $700 billion this year alone to build data centers and AI infrastructure, while global investment in data centers could approach $7 trillion by decade's end. The demand for skilled tradespeople has surged in recent years, with a March analysis by staffing firm Randstad finding a 27% increase in demand over three years, including 30% growth for construction workers, 25% for welders, and 18% for electricians. However, companies are struggling to hire enough young workers to meet demand and replace retiring tradespeople. Huang acknowledged both the promise and responsibility of AI development, urging graduates to advance the technology wisely while ensuring its benefits are broadly accessible. "The responsibility of our generation is not only to advance AI but to advance it wisely," he said. Despite high demand, data center construction slowed last year for the first time since 2020 due to zoning laws, permits, and power supply challenges, while broader nonresidential construction spending has remained mostly flat since 2024. Huang received an honorary Doctor of Science and Technology from CMU President Farnam Jahanian during the ceremony and paid tribute to the university's pioneering role in AI and robotics, citing milestones from the Logic Theorist in the 1950s to the founding of the Robotics Institute in 1979. He drew parallels between his own career beginnings at the dawn of the PC revolution and the graduates' entry into the AI era, emphasizing that while every major computing platform shift from PCs to mobile has led to this moment, "what is about to happen now is bigger than anything before, because intelligence is foundational to every industry."