Construction Will Capture the Headlines in 2026

Looking forward to 2026, we are going to see topics like AI, data centers, and chip fabrication share the limelight with #construction and the rapidly growing need for people in the skilled trades. The world depends on the construction industry to meet its needs for continued growth and development. AI needs data centers to house its servers. Those data centers need more power to run the servers. Those servers need more microchips to process the ever-increasing volume of data requests. None of this is possible until the construction industry builds these facilities. And nothing gets built without the skilled trades people.

Data centers, fab facilities, and power plants will be in demand like never before, and the ability to bring these facilities on-line will be dependent on the ability of the construction industry to build them first. Look at the indicators over the last 12 months:

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has discussed the growing need for trades people, including a recent article in Fortune where he states that hundreds of thousands of electricians and plumbers will be needed.

• In its most recent earnings report, Caterpillar Inc. stated that its increased earnings were being fueled by data center construction.

• A recent article in the The Wall Street Journal cites data center construction as a “gold rush” for construction workers.

In addition, we are seeing a resurgence in the construction of nuclear power generating facilities. Worldwide, this includes a mix of traditional large-scale facilities and reactors (particularly in Asia) and a pivot towards Small Modular Reactors (SMR’s) in the West. This will all occur alongside additional construction including upgrading and restarting existing plants (particularly in the U.S.) and building out additional sources of renewable energy such as solar, and battery storage.

Take this another step further and consider the aging infrastructure that will need to be upgraded to handle demand, and the future prospects for the skilled trades have never looked better.

While the immediate need for skilled trades people will dominate, there will also be an increasing need for the construction management personnel required to manage this surge in demand. Look for 2026 to be the year of the construction industry!

#BigIdeas2026 #constructionishard