Many people are afraid that artificial intelligence could replace numerous jobs. However, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sees quite different winners of the AI revolution: trades professions.
What opportunities does the Nvidia boss see? The CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, spoke surprisingly openly about the impact of AI on the job market during the graduation speech at Carnegie Mellon University. Instead of talking about programmers or software developers, Huang suddenly highlighted classic trades professions.
He said:
AI gives America the chance to rebuild something. Electricians, plumbers, steelworkers, technicians, construction workers – now is your time.
Jensen Huang, via YouTube
In the AI era, Huang notes that it won’t be the developers of the models themselves who will be the most sought-after workers, but rather skilled tradespeople who keep the massive physical infrastructure behind the technology running.
Huang sees in the development of artificial intelligences and their accessibility not just a software boom, but rather the beginning of a completely new industry in the United States.
What AI cannot do
Why does AI suddenly need electricians and tradespeople? The reason lies in the gigantic infrastructure behind modern AI. Large language models like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude do not simply run by themselves in the background. They require huge data centers full of high-performance GPUs that need massive amounts of power and cooling. (Fortune)
In order for this infrastructure to be built at all, the industry needs among other things:
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Welders
- Technicians
- Construction workers
- Specialists for power grids and cooling
According to an analysis by McKinsey up to 7 trillion euros could flow into new AI data centers worldwide. The expansion is already considered one of the largest infrastructure projects in modern tech history. (Fortune)
Nvidia itself is also benefiting massively from this. The company’s GPUs are currently considered the heart of many AI data centers worldwide. (Nvidia)
Are trades professions safer from AI than office jobs? While AI is increasingly taking over tasks in the office, many manual activities continue to be considered difficult to automate. Installing a power connection in a massive data center or building complex cooling systems is something that AI currently cannot simply take over.
At the same time, AI companies are increasingly warning of changes in the job market. Huang himself remains optimistic, but also sees a historic upheaval: “This is the largest expansion of technological infrastructure in the history of mankind.”
For many young people, vocational training could suddenly become significantly more attractive again. The business magazine Fortune notes, however, that while the AI-driven infrastructure boom has noticeably spurred demand for skilled tradespeople, the picture is not unclouded: hopes for a sustainable hiring boom and rising wages hang by a thread in a volatile industry.
And those involved in the construction of data centers have no job guarantee after project completion. Added to this is the fact that construction activity in the data center sector decreased last year for the first time since 2020. (Fortune) The reason for this are approval processes and problems with power supply that are increasingly holding developers back.
What do you think: Is Jensen Huang right and trades professions are suddenly more important than ever due to AI? Or do you believe that the current AI hype will eventually subside? Let us know in the comments.
That AI can take over everyday tasks in its many forms is nothing new. However, how the help can ultimately become a problem for workers is still to be determined. One thing AI can already do quite well: 73% of people use AI to solve computer problems
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