A labor shortage is choking off AI data center constructionBy some estimates, the U.S. is 58,000 people short of the workforce needed to install the fiber-optic cable that connects data centers to the internet.An AT&T technician works on a telephone pole in Covington, Ga.NBC NewsAug. 6, 2026, 12:04 PM EDTData center construction for artificial intelligence is running into a very physical problem: not having enough humans to install the fiber-optic cable needed to connect the centers to the internet.Just a moment.We are getting your experience ready.