Jensen Huang: Now Is the Time to Become an Electrician or Plumber

NVIDIA (NVDA-US) CEO Jensen Huang, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, 2026, said the AI boom is driving surging demand for skilled tradespeople, with electricians, plumbers, and construction workers poised to earn six-figure salaries. Huang noted during a panel with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink that wages for technical workers involved in building and maintaining AI data centers have nearly doubled due to massive infrastructure expansion. He called it “the largest infrastructure build-out in human history,” requiring trillions in new investment. “We’re seeing tremendous momentum—salaries up almost twofold. You don’t need a computer science PhD to thrive,” he said. Huang highlighted a critical labor shortage in the U.S. for constructing chip fabs and AI facilities, emphasizing that these roles now offer six-digit incomes. His remarks echoed Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s earlier comments praising vocational training. Coreweave CEO Michael Intrator also cited growing demand for electricians, plumbers, and carpenters driven by AI's physical infrastructure needs.