Public sector changes could help address the data center talent shortage

Marco Mancuso, Data Center Segment Lead at Hitachi

The data center industry is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. It was valued at USD 269.79 billion in 2025, and is projected, according to Fortune Business Insights, to grow to USD 699.13 billion by 2034. Vast AI compute workloads have necessitated new data centers being constructed across the globe. Hyperscalers and colocators alike scramble to secure the land, energy, and chips they need to accomplish ambitious infrastructure build outs.

However, there is another shortage plaguing the industry – talent. A study from The Uptime Institute revealed that 58% of data center companies have difficulty finding qualified candidates for open jobs and 55% have difficulty retaining staff.

This places major constraints on sector growth. And it’s not only a workforce problem: it impacts the ability of operators to run data centers safely, could increase downtime, and presents issues for energy and supply chains. Without action, these problems are only going to get worse.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) believes the solution to stemming the skills gap lies in increased collaboration between industry, government, and educational institutions.

But what if we went a step further? What would an education system, and society at large, look like if it was designed around the country’s ambition to become a tech superpower? A future where technology empowers every individual to take an active role in tackling global challenges like climate change and energy security.

Here are the top 4 public sector changes that could transform the data center talent landscape:

1.       Primary and secondary education

Curriculums could be designed in collaboration with data center experts, leveraging immersive digital simulations, modular lessons, and teacher training partnerships. That way, educators and students benefit from the expertise and resources of technology leaders.

This would produce institutions where education could be mapped to real-life scenarios and skillsets, introducing students to digital solutions and their possible use cases early in their development.

Students who can complement theoretical knowledge with practical applications will be far more likely to understand how their skills can make a tangible difference in the world, and the active role they can play in building the sustainable economy.

2.       National strategies for change

Pushing public sector ambition further, why not create a framework for upskilling individuals beyond the classroom? Governments and sector leaders could co-invest in a Digital Infrastructure Skills Center committed to this strategic objective. This kind of public-private partnership has the potential to support the next generation of talent.

If established, such a center could help to define skills frameworks and accreditations for new graduates, providing a direct pipeline to both public and private sector jobs. This is a model that could be replicated elsewhere, helping make up the talent shortfall globally.

3.       A connected approach

We can’t simply train our way out of the problem, however. While training is essential, it must evolve alongside AI, automation, and sustainable technologies if we are to ensure skills remain relevant and roles evolve rather than diminish. Otherwise, the risk is that skills, and entire roles, become redundant. There is a short-term demand for skills, but the workforce of the future might contract – and will certainly be more digital.

Likewise, training and skills need to operate alongside considerations such as energy and sustainability. The challenges facing the sector are multifaceted, and the response must be too. This requires a joined-up conversation across both the public and private sectors to shape a coordinated response to both the short- and long-term issues emerging for the data center sector.

4.       Tackling climate anxiety

A study from King’s College London found that over half of young people (59%) were very worried about the climate crisis. That fear can be overwhelming, especially if students feel powerless to do anything about it. Viewed through this lens, data centers can seem like they’re simply “part of the problem”.

An overhaul of the national curriculum could empower students to transform their concerns into meaningful action, by taking a more active role in the implementation of energy-efficient tech. In this scenario, technology is no longer perceived as ‘part of the problem’ but the ‘key to the solution’, with innovation in data centers driving both environmental and economic progress.

What role can you play in tackling the data center talent crisis? Find out here.

Discover how think beyond the data center brings together Hitachi’s capabilities to support your data center ambitions.