Happy International Data Center Day! Today, we shine a spotlight on an industry that quietly powers our modern world. Behind every video call, online class, cloud application, and AI breakthrough is a network of infrastructure that most people never see — but rely on every single day: the data center industry.
This day is about more than celebrating technology; it’s about celebrating the people who make it all possible. From engineers and technicians to sustainability leaders, network specialists, and innovators, data centers are driven by talented professionals shaping the future of technology and connectivity.
Yet, one of the biggest challenges remains awareness. Many students and educators still don’t know that these careers exist, or the incredible opportunities they offer.
At the Nomad Futurist Foundation, we know that exposure changes everything. When students step inside a data center, meet the people behind the operations, and see the technology up close, curiosity transforms into possibility. Experiencing these environments firsthand opens doors to careers that are not only in high demand but essential to powering our digital future.
Demand for electricity is up in the United States, and so is its price. One way to increase supply and lower costs is to build new power plants, but that can take years and cost a fortune. Talgat Kopzhanov is working on a faster, more affordable solution: the generator replacement interconnection process.
The technique links renewable energy sources to the grid connections of shuttered or underutilized power facilities and coal plants. The process uses the existing interconnection rights and infrastructure when generating electricity, eliminating the years-long approval process for constructing new U.S. power facilities.
Talgat Kopzhanov
Employer
Middle River Power, in Chicago
Job title
Asset manager
Member grade
Senior member
Alma maters
Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and Indiana University in Bloomington
Kopzhanov, an IEEE senior member, is an asset manager for Middle River Power, based in Chicago. The private equity–sponsored investment and asset management organization specializes in U.S. power generation assets.
“Every power plant has its own interconnection rights,” he says, “but, amazingly, most are not fully utilizing them.” Interconnection rights give a new power source—such as solar energy—permission to connect to a high-voltage transmission system.
“We build the new renewable energy resources on top of them,” Kopzhanov says. “It’s like colocating a new power plant.”
He recently oversaw the installation of two generator-replacement interconnection projects, one for a solar system in Minnesota and the other for a battery storage facility in California.
A fast-track approach that cuts costs
Artificial intelligence data centers are driving up demand and raising electricity bills globally. Although tech companies and investors are willing to spend trillions of U.S. dollars constructing new power facilities, it can take up to seven years just to secure the grid interconnection rights needed to start building a plant, Kopzhanov says. The lengthy process involves system planning, permit requests, and regulatory approvals. Only about 5 percent of new projects are approved each year, he says, in part because of grid reliability issues.
The interconnection technique takes about half the time, he says, bringing cleaner energy online faster. By overcoming interconnection bottlenecks, such as major transmission upgrades that delay renewable projects, the process speeds up project timelines and lowers expenses.
Power Engineers Are In Short Supply
If you want to work in a secure, recession-proof industry, consider a career in power engineering, Kopzhanov says—especially in an unstable job market, when even Amazon, Microsoft, and other large companies are laying off thousands of engineers.
The power industry desperately needs engineers. The global power sector will require between 450,000 and 1.5 million more engineers by 2030 to build, implement, and operate energy infrastructure, according to an IEEE Spectrumarticle based on a study conducted this year of the power engineering workforce by the IEEE Power & Energy Society.
One of the reasons for the shortage, Kopzhanov says, is that the power sector doesn’t seem exciting to young engineers.
“It has not been popular because the technologies we’re implementing nowadays were invented quite a long time ago,” he says. “So there were not too many recent innovations.”
But with new technologies being introduced, such as the generator replacement interconnection process, now is a great time to get into the industry, he says.
“We are facing lots of different kinds of interesting and big challenges, and we definitely need power engineers who can solve them, such as the supply and demand situation facing us,” he says. “We need right-minded people who can deal with that.
“Until this point, the marvelous engineering systems that have been designed and built with close to 100-percent reliability are not going to be the case moving forward, so we have to come up with innovative approaches.”
Just because you have a power engineering degree, however, doesn’t mean you have to work as a power engineer, he says.
“Most students might assume they will have to dedicate themselves to only being a power engineer for the rest of their life—which is not the case,” he says. “You can be on the business side or be an asset manager like me.
“The power sector is an extremely dynamic and vast area. You’ll have many paths to pursue along your career journey.”
Kopzhanov has been involved with several recent generator replacement interconnection installations. In May a large-scale solar project in Minnesota replaced a retiring coal plant with approximately 720 megawatts of solar-powered generators, making it the largest solar-generating facility in the region. The first 460 MW of capacity is expected to be operational soon.
Another new installation, developed with Middle River, is a portfolio of battery storage projects colocated with natural gas facilities in California. It used existing and incremental interconnection capacity to add the storage system. The surplus renewable energy from the batteries will be used during peak times to reduce the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Silicon Valley Clean Energy article about the installation.
“These projects are uniquely positioned to be colocated with existing power plants,” Kopzhanov says. “But, at the same time, they are renewable and sustainable sources of power—which is also helping to decarbonize the environment and meet the emission-reduction goals of the state.”
Influenced by Kazakhstan’s power industry
Born and raised in Taraz, Kazakhstan, Kopzhanov was surrounded by relatives who worked in the power industry. It’s not surprising that he has pursued a career in the field.
Until 1991, when the country was still a Soviet republic, most Kazakhs were required to help build the country’s power and transmission systems, he says. His mother and father are chemical engineers, and his grandfather was involved in the power industry. They told him about how they designed the transformers and overhead power lines. From a young age, he knew he wanted to be an engineer too, he says.
Today the Central Asian country is a major producer of oil, gas, and coal.
Kopzhanov left Kazakhstan in 2008 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind.
After graduating in 2012, he was hired as an electrical design engineer by Fluor Corp. in Farnborough, England. He oversaw the development of a master plan for a power project there. He also engineered and designed high-voltage switchgears, substations, and transformers.
“Every power plant has its own interconnection rights but, amazingly, most are not fully utilizing them.”
In 2015 he joined ExxonMobil in Houston, working as a project manager. During his six years there, he held managerial positions. Eventually, he was promoted to asset advisor and was responsible for evaluating the feasibility of investing in decarbonization and electrification projects by identifying their risks and opportunities.
He decided he wanted to learn more about the business aspects of running a company, so he left in 2021 to pursue an MBA at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, in Bloomington. During his MBA program, he briefly worked as a consultant for a lithium-ion manufacturing firm, offering advice on the viability of their proposed projects and investments.
“Engineers aren’t typically connected to the business world,” he says, “but having an understanding of what the needs are and tailoring your future goals toward that is extremely important. In my view, that’s how you’ll become a great technical expert. I definitely recommend that engineers have some kind of understanding of the business side.”
He joined Middle River shortly after graduating from Indiana with his MBA in 2023.
The power of membership
Kopzhanov was introduced to IEEE by a colleague at ExxonMobil after he asked the member about an IEEE plaque displayed on his desk. The coworker explained the activities he was involved in, as well as the process for joining. Kopzhanov became a member in 2019, left, and then rejoined in 2023.
“That was one of the best decisions I have made,” he says.
A member of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, he says its publications, webinars, conferences, and networking events keep him current on new developments.
“Being able to follow what’s happening in the industry, especially in the space where you’re working, is something that has benefited me a lot,” he says.
He has helped organize conferences and reviews research papers.
“It’s those little things that have a significant impact,” he says. “Volunteering is a key piece of belonging to IEEE.”
The digital technology ecosystem and virtual spaces are powered by data – its storage, processing, and computation; and data centers are the mitochondrion on which this ecosystem depends. From online gaming and video streaming (including live events) to e-commerce transactions, credit and debit card payments, and the complex algorithms that drive artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), cloud services, and enterprise applications, data centers support nearly every aspect of modern life. Yet the professionals who operate and maintain these facilities like data center facilities engineers, technicians, and operators, remain largely unsung heroes of the information age.
Most end users, particularly consumers, rarely consider the backend infrastructure that enables their digital experiences. The continuous operation of data centers depends on the availability of adequate and reliable power and cooling for critical IT loads, robust fire protection systems and tightly managed operational processes that together ensure uptime, and system reliability. For users, however, the expectation is simple and unambiguous; online services must work seamlessly and be available whenever they are needed.
According to the Data Center Map, there are 668 data centers in Virginia, more than 4000 in the United States, and over 11,000 globally. Despite the rapid growth, the industry faces a significant challenge: it is not producing enough qualified technicians, engineers, and operators to keep pace with the growth of data center infrastructure in the United States despite an average total compensation of $70,000 which may go as high as $109,000 in Northern Virginia, as estimated by Glassdoor.
Data center professionals require highly specialized electrical and mechanical maintenance skills and knowledge of network/server operations gained through robust training and hands-on experience. Sadly, the industry risks falling short of its workforce needs due to the unprecedented scale and speed of data center construction. This growth is being fueled by the global race for AI dominance, increasing demand for digital connectivity, and the continued expansion of cloud computing services.
Industry projections highlight the magnitude of the challenge. Omdia (As reported by Data Center Dynamics) suggests data center investment will likely hit $1.6 trillion by 2030 while BloombergNEF forecasts data-center demand of 106 gigawatts by 2035. All these projects and projections demand skilled individuals which the industry does not currently have, and the vacuum might create problems in the future if not filled with the right individuals. According to the Uptime Institute’s 2023 survey, 58% of operators are finding it difficult to get qualified candidates and 55% claim they are having difficulty retaining staff. The Uptime Institute’s 2024 data center staffing and recruitment survey shows that there was 26% and 21% turnover rate for electrical and mechanical trades respectively. It was estimated by The Birmingham Group that AI facilities will create about 45,000 data center technicians and engineers jobs and employment is projected to be at 780,000 by 2030.
Meeting the current and future workforce demands requires both leveraging talent pipelines and creating new ones. Technology is growing and evolving at a high speed and filling critical data center positions increasingly demands professionals who are not only technically skilled, but also continuously trained to keep up with rapidly changing industry standards and technologies
Organizational Apprenticeship and Training Programs
Organizations should invest in organizational training and apprenticeship programs for individuals with technical training from community colleges so that they can create pipelines of technically skilled individuals to fill critical positions. This will ensure the future of critical positions within the data center industry is secured.
Trade Programs Expansion in Community College
Community colleges should expand the teachings of technical trades because these programs create life-sustaining careers with the possibility of earning high incomes. Northern Virginia Community College has spearheaded data center operations programs to train individuals who can comfortably fill entry level data center critical facilities positions in northern Virginia and everywhere else.
Veterans Re-entry Programs
A lot of military veterans possess the required transferrable skills needed within data center critical facilities, and organizations need to leverage this opportunity. Organizations need to harness the opportunities provided by the Disabled American Veterans and DOD’s Transition Assistance Program, and other military and DOD programs.
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About the Author
Rafiu Sunmonu is the Supervisor of Critical Facilities Operations at NTT Global Data Centers Americas, Inc.
Quantica Infrastructure (Quantica) has strengthened its commitment to digital infrastructure education and workforce development by becoming the newest Inspiration Sponsor of the Nomad Futurist Foundation. This partnership reflects both organizations’ shared goal of supporting future talent and expanding access to opportunities within the digital infrastructure ecosystem.
The Nomad Futurist Foundation, a globally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, works to make the world of digital infrastructure accessible and inspiring for students and young professionals. Through educational outreach, immersive programs, and mentorship, the Foundation introduces emerging talent to the technologies that power the digital economy.
As part of its Inspiration Sponsorship, Quantica has pledged $25,000 in 2025 to support the Foundation’s education and workforce initiatives. A portion of this commitment will be allocated to a local school identified by Quantica, reinforcing both organizations’ focus on community-driven impact and early exposure to career pathways.
Quantica Infrastructure’s mission is to deliver integrated infrastructure across renewable power, network connectivity, and development-ready land, with a focus on supporting economic opportunity in historically overlooked regions. This sponsorship aligns with the company’s long-term commitment to education, workforce readiness, and local community investment.
“As we continue building programs that don’t just inform, but truly inspire, Quantica’s support is instrumental in enabling us to take the next step: bringing students into the industry itself,” said Nabeel Mahmood, Co-Founder of Nomad Futurist. “Together, we can deliver real-world exposure, mentorship, and the confidence to dream big in a space they might never have known existed.”
Students participating in this partnership will have access to Nomad Futurist Academy’s curated modules, hands-on industry experience at major events, and mentorship from digital infrastructure leaders. These opportunities are designed to bridge the gap between education and employment by offering direct exposure to careers in data centers, energy technologies, and related fields.
John Chesser, CEO of Quantica Infrastructure, emphasized the alignment between this sponsorship and the company’s ongoing projects: “The Nomad Futurist Foundation’s mission aligns squarely with what we are building through our Big Sky Campus in Montana and beyond. The ability to not only raise awareness but educate the next generation about future opportunities in data centers and digital infrastructure demonstrates the long-term investments and growth our project brings along with it.”
This collaboration marks an important milestone in both organizations’ efforts to support education, expand career access, and prepare the next generation to lead in an evolving digital infrastructure landscape.
For more information, view the full press release here.
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