Big Tech’s rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers is driving a talent scramble for energy professionals, with energy-related hires rising about 34% in 2024 and staying roughly 30% above pre-AI levels in 2022.

This push reflects a bottleneck in scaling AI tied to power availability, as firms build out infrastructure to support larger AI workloads.

A new talent war is unfolding among tech giants, focused on securing energy experts to power expanding data-center footprints.

Companies are shifting from traditional sustainability roles to operational energy roles—covering procurement, markets, grid interface, and strategy—to meet growing power needs for data centers.

Alphabet’s planned $4.75 billion acquisition of Intersect signals a move to build internal data-center capabilities, while others lean on contractors for construction and project management during build-out.

Tech giants are pursuing energy deals with diverse providers, including nuclear, and aim to diversify energy sources with initiatives like a solar-powered data center planned for 2027.

Firms are outsourcing or acquiring energy expertise and even energy companies to secure reliable power, using models that range from in-house projects to outsourced construction and operations, while some explore power trading permissions.

If this shift continues, it could reshape the energy sector as tech firms become energy managers, potentially exporting excess power back to the grid where permitted, though current roles remain largely internal.

Google has actively recruited energy experts as part of its broader energy talent expansion, bolstering its capacity to manage power for AI infrastructure.

Microsoft, Amazon (including AWS), and Google are leading the surge in energy hiring, with Microsoft alone adding more than 570 energy-related roles since 2022.

Microsoft’s energy leadership includes appointments like Betsy Beck as Director of Energy Markets and Carolina Dybeck Happe as COO, reflecting a deepening focus on energy strategy.

Global data centers now account for about 1.5% of worldwide electricity consumption in 2024, a share that’s rising as AI infrastructure expands and energy competition intensifies.