Big Tech's AI obsession is fueling an energy hiring boom
Big Tech's race to build smarter AI is using up a ton of electricity—so much that companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are scrambling to hire more energy experts.
Energy-related hiring surged 34% year-on-year in 2024 and is about 30% higher than pre-AI levels in 2022, as data centers now eat up about 1.5% of the world's electricity.
Why should you care?
This isn't just about new jobs—Amazon alone added over 600 energy pros, with Microsoft and Google not far behind.
Alphabet has bought a data center developer and reported plans for a solar-powered data center, Meta has signed power purchase agreements with a small modular reactor company, and some are even selling extra power back to the grid.
As AI keeps growing, tech giants are poaching utility talent and rethinking how our entire power system works—moves that could shape the future of both tech and clean energy for everyone.