The growth of artificial intelligence is creating a new wave of construction demand across North America.
For building materials companies, data centres are not just another category of commercial project. They are large, technical, fast-moving builds that place pressure on manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and suppliers in a different way than traditional construction.
Two recent projects show the scale of what is coming.
In Canada, Meta announced plans for a 1GW data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta. The project is expected to support approximately 3,000 construction workers at peak and more than 300 permanent jobs once operational.
In the United States, Microsoft announced a multibillion-dollar data centre campus in Pecos, Texas. The project is expected to add roughly 2GW of data centre capacity over the next five to seven years, driven by rising demand for AI and cloud infrastructure.
These are not standard commercial builds.
Data centres require significant volumes of materials, but the bigger challenge is complexity. These projects need reliable supply, tight coordination, technical product knowledge, detailed documentation, and the ability to support customers through demanding timelines.
That changes the expectations placed on building materials companies.
A distributor supplying a data centre project may need to manage larger order volumes, faster delivery windows, tighter sequencing, and more complex communication between contractors, manufacturers, engineers, and site teams. A manufacturer may need to support technical approvals, product substitutions, documentation, warranties, and lead-time planning with very little room for error.
This is where the talent implications become clear.
Companies serving these projects will need more than strong salespeople. They will need people who understand complex project requirements, can communicate with technical buyers, and can help customers solve problems before they delay the job.
For building materials employers, demand from data centre construction may increase the need for:
- Technical sales professionals who can speak to product performance, specification requirements, and commercial project needs
- Project coordinators who can manage communication between customers, suppliers, logistics teams, and manufacturers
- Estimators and inside sales teams who can move quickly without sacrificing accuracy
- Operations leaders who can handle larger project volumes while protecting service levels for existing customers
- Procurement and supply chain professionals who can manage availability, vendor risk, and long-lead products
- Branch and regional leaders who understand how to service major projects without disrupting the core business
The pressure is not limited to one role or one function. Data centre work can stretch the full commercial engine of a building materials company, from sales and estimating to purchasing, warehousing, logistics, and customer service.
This also creates competition for talent.
Large infrastructure projects attract experienced people from construction, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain backgrounds. As these projects expand, building materials companies may find themselves competing with contractors, developers, technology firms, and infrastructure companies for the same talent pool.
That competition is already visible. Major technology companies have started investing directly in skilled trades and infrastructure workforce development, which signals that labour availability is becoming a core constraint in the growth of AI infrastructure.
For building materials companies, the opportunity is significant. Data centre demand may create new revenue, new customers, and stronger relationships with large-scale construction partners.
But opportunity alone is not enough.
The companies best positioned to benefit will be the ones that have the right people in place before the demand reaches them. That means stronger technical sales capability, better project support, sharper operations leadership, and a workforce that understands the pace and expectations of high-specification construction.
Data centres may be powered by technology, but they are still built through materials, logistics, coordination, and people.
