iMasons Chairman and Founder, Dean Nelson, held a live discussion covering in-depth insights from the Annual iMasons State of the Industry. Heather Dooley, iMWomen Global Chair, joined Dean to discuss how we fill the talent pipeline needs to support the industry growth.
The 2024 State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry report provides a holistic picture of the importance of digital infrastructure and a guide to strategic decisions about where, when, and how digital infrastructure is built, operated, and maintained.
In 2021, iMasons reported that the digital infrastructure industry included seven million data center locations around the world with a combined capacity of 105 gigawatts and an annual electricity consumption of 594 terawatt-hours, representing 2.4% of the global electricity draw. “Demand for electronic services will double and could triple the size of the industry over the next decade, primarily driven by AI.”
iMasons’ global members’ discussions identified four critical challenges for us to fulfill this demand; access to power capacity, attracting and retaining people, addressing industry perception to ensure positive public relationships and maintaining our commitments to protect the planet.
On May 7th, Dean was joined by Heather Dooley to discuss the increasing demand on the talent pipeline. Sustaining the current industry growth demands requires us to build, maintain, and operate digital infrastructure, yet the industry currently faces an estimated shortfall of 300,000 people by 2025.
In addition to growing demand, surveys of the current workforce indicate that 70% of people employed in this industry are 45 years or older. Estimates from Uptime Institute shows that 40% of the current workforce is expected to retire within the next 15 years.
Heather is a global chair for iMWomen, one of our largest and most active Member Resource Groups. She has been building internet infrastructure for over 25 years, from the early days of broadband to working with two hyperscalers in global leadership roles. She is now a board member of Cireon Technologies, Edgecore Digital Infrastructure, and a strategic advisor to Linsight. She is a vocal advocate of corporate culture, advancing women, and continues to participate as a thought leader across multiple industry groups, including iMasons.
“We're talking about 300,000 shortfall just for our industry globally. Now we're seeing 350,000 jobs in the US alone, just in the construction site, and 1.7 million jobs across the energy sector”