Data center executives say power and labor, not chips, limit AI build-out
In brief
- Power and skilled labor rank ahead of chips and capital as data center constraints, executives said.
- US electrician pay has climbed to about $200,000, NTT Data CEO Abhijit Dubey said.
- Equipment sourcing lead times can stretch to 42 weeks, according to Dubey.
- Bain forecasts $5-6.5 trillion in cumulative data center investment by 2030.
- Grid upgrades in parts of Europe can take more than a decade, Bain said.
So what's actually slowing things down?
The answer from the panel was fairly blunt.
Electricians top the shortage list
NTT Data CEO Abhijit Dubey pointed to a significant talent shortage, and electricians sit at the top of that list. He said electrician compensation in the US has climbed to roughly $200,000. Dubey also flagged long waits for equipment, saying lead times for sourcing gear can stretch to as long as 42 weeks.
Money isn't the problem.
Powering up a data center in the US can cost as much as $3 billion, according to the remarks as reported, yet the executives didn't identify capital as a limiting factor. Brookfield Asset Management's Connor Teskey said demand for data centers will likely exceed supply through the end of the decade (in other words, the imbalance isn't going away soon).
Bain's numbers point the same way
The executives' comments line up with Bain & Company's Technology Report, published Sept. 29, 2026, which found energy access, labor shortages and equipment delays all pressing on the industry at the same time. Bain forecasts $5-6.5 trillion in cumulative data center investment by 2030, adding nearly 150 GW of capacity.
Europe looks especially tight. According to Bain, congested power grids in parts of the continent can take more than a decade to upgrade, and the report as cited points to Amsterdam, where grid connections can take up to 10 years.
What it means for operators
Crypto Briefing's own analysis said demand projected to outrun supply through the end of the decade suggests strong pricing power for operators that already have capacity online or have secured grid connections. The publication also noted that public opposition over data centers' energy and water use, combined with lengthy permitting processes, may further complicate construction.
That's the picture the operators painted. The bottleneck isn't silicon, it's power and the people who connect it.
Frequently asked questions
What do data center executives say is limiting AI infrastructure growth?
Executives speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi ranked power and skilled labor ahead of chip supply and capital availability as constraints on data center expansion. NTT Data CEO Abhijit Dubey pointed to a significant talent shortage, with electricians at the top of the list.
How much data center investment does Bain expect by 2030?
Bain & Company's Technology Report, published Sept. 29, 2026, forecasts $5-6.5 trillion in cumulative data center investment by 2030, adding nearly 150 GW of capacity. The report found energy access, labor shortages and equipment delays all pressing on the industry at the same time.
Why are grid connections a problem for data centers in Europe?
According to Bain, congested power grids in parts of Europe can take more than a decade to upgrade. In Amsterdam, grid connections can take up to 10 years, which slows how quickly new data center capacity can come online.
