Inside America’s Data Centers: The Physical Reality of Powering the AI Boom
Powering the nation’s massive artificial intelligence build-out requires endless walking, sniffing for burning equipment, and monitoring for bird damage.
ASHBURN, Va.—Growing up, James Waddy wanted to be a professional athlete. Today, the 33-year-old logs 30,000 steps a day roaming the halls of a million-square-foot data center in the Virginia suburbs.
As a lead engineer, Waddy oversees dozens of other technicians and affectionately calls himself “The General.” His daily rounds are intensely sensory: sniffing the air for the sharp scent of burning equipment that could indicate overheating, feeling coolant tubes for hairline cracks, and scanning for faulty lighting or failing power transformers.
“I don’t hear any unusual noises,” he said recently, pacing a raised floor above a chamber that circulates air to cool thousands of servers. “I don’t smell anything. Everything’s running right.”
As Americans grow increasingly leery of artificial intelligence and its potential risks, the data centers powering this massive technological build-out are drawing intense scrutiny. Yet, beyond their boxy, nondescript exteriors, these facilities remain somewhat mysterious. What exactly is inside, and what are the workers doing?
Waddy’s facility, owned by data-center giant Digital Realty, features echoey hallways so long that some technicians ride scooters to get around. The space is a labyrinth of towering cages stuffed with wires, alongside cots and showers for technicians who may need to hunker down during extreme weather to keep the servers running. Even with up to 120 people on site at a given time—including contracted security staff and client employees—the building’s massive scale means many rooms feel eerily empty on a typical weekday.
Data-center employees are performing an in-demand, mission-critical job. While these facilities don’t require massive staffs—estimates range from a few dozen to a few hundred permanent employees per site—the sheer scale of the national build-out translates to tens of thousands of new jobs.
According to industry data provider Data Center Map, there are already roughly 2,700 operational data-center facilities in the U.S. Nearly 400 more are under construction nationwide, with at least 1,500 in the planning stages. Waddy’s nine-year-old facility sits in a dense cluster known as "Data Center Alley," about an hour outside of Washington, D.C.
The demand for workers is surging. More than a million job seekers have searched for data-center roles on Indeed this year, with August searches up eightfold from early 2022. The financial incentives are clear: Indeed research shows that hourly employees tasked with maintenance and installation earn a roughly 42% pay premium compared with similar roles in other industries. A data-center project manager makes around $115,000, while Digital Realty notes that entry-level engineers start near $66,000, with average pay topping $120,000 for seasoned professionals.
Consequently, professionals with skills in electrical systems, network engineering, and cooling systems are in high demand. In response, major tech companies like Meta have invested in training skilled workforces. In Virginia, Northern Virginia Community College recently launched a specialized data-center program with private-sector support.
“These are mission-critical facilities running around the clock,” said Cindy Fiedelman, Digital Realty’s chief human resources officer. “That takes a specific mix of technical training, safety discipline, and hands-on experience, which is in short supply relative to how fast the industry is growing.”
Digital Realty operates more than 300 data centers across six continents, leasing space to major tech companies like Oracle, Meta, and IBM. Yet, the Ashburn center shows little sign of its high-profile clientele. There are no customer logos or names on the leased equipment, as competitors often have operations running side-by-side in the same halls. Up close, the servers roar so loudly that earplugs are mandatory.
The company is also navigating increasingly intense public backlash against data-center construction. In Atlanta, for example, Digital Realty is seeking an exemption from a local ban on data centers near transit hubs as it attempts to build a $500 million facility. The project, currently stuck in limbo due to local pushback, has prompted the company to emphasize its commitment to creating well-paying jobs and partnering with the community “the right way.”
Inside the Ashburn site, the workforce is a mix of white- and blue-collar professionals: security guards, cable technicians, supply-chain officers, and engineers. But they all share one overriding directive: keep the centers running. Digital Realty estimates its facilities are operational 99.999% of the time, but the company is now pushing for 99.9999%. That fractional difference is the gap between six minutes of outage a year and just 30 seconds.
Don Atkinson, a 53-year-old technical manager, knows the stakes. After 17 years in the military and a career maintaining backup power systems, he has spent the last 14 years at Digital Realty. Now in a managerial role mentoring younger engineers, Atkinson is grappling with the sudden shift in public opinion about the workplace where he built a solid career.
“We love America, we love the country, we love the industry, and it’s just weird,” he said of the public backlash. He also noted, with a touch of irony, that he doesn’t use much AI himself. “It’s a weird place right now.”
Malcolm Mosely, another technician at the facility, echoed this sentiment. While his family occasionally brings up the politics of data centers, he tries not to focus on it. “I just come here to do my job,” he said, recently spotted inside a black cage stuffed with yellow wires, meticulously checking a cross-connect cable linking two customers’ operations.
Waddy, who has worked at the Ashburn plant for three years, holds an associate degree in business and previously worked in HVAC sales. He started on the night shift, maintaining machinery for customers across the globe, and has steadily climbed the ranks.
His favorite part of the day often takes him to the roof. There, he checks on hundreds of condensers arranged in neat rows, ensuring they are free of malfunctions or damage from birds that like to peck at the equipment. The roof work offers a sweeping view of the area, including a distant crane helping to build a competitor’s data center.
“It’s nice up here,” Waddy said, looking out over the sprawling complex. “I love this round.”