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The U.S. is in the middle of a digital infrastructure revolution. Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and edge technologies are transforming industries and redefining whats possible, from national security to personalized medicine. But as AI headlines focus on coders and cutting-edge tech, the real story is unfolding in workshops and job sites where skilled workers are making innovation physically possible. Unlike the dot-com boom or the mobile era, this AI-driven transformation isnt just about servers and software. Its about the concrete, steel, cables, power, and cooling systems that serve as the nervous system of our digital society. As the demand for hyperscale data centers and energy-intensive computing capacity grows, so does our dependence on a rising class of tradespeople who are building this infrastructure from the ground up. The future of AI doesnt just sit in a data center. Its built by hands that wire, weld, and maintain it. WHATS DRIVING DEMAND AI isnt a theoretical frontier anymore. It’s here, its scaling, and its accelerating the need for purpose-built facilities that can handle the load. The rise in generative AI and machine learning workloads has triggered unprecedented demand for data center capacity across the U.S. According to a 2024 report from McKinsey & Company, U.S. data center power demand is expected to more than triple by 2030from 25 gigawatts in 2024 to more than 80 gigawatts[DA1] [KG2] underscoring the urgent need to expand our physical infrastructure and the skilled workforce behind it. This infrastructure doesnt build itself. Every new data hall or edge facility depends on a coordinated force of electricians, welders, fiber installers, HVAC technicians, and other tradespeople who bring these environments to lifeon time and to spec. Tripling power demand in just six years isnt just a tech challengeits a labor and infrastructure mandate. THE RISE OF THE NEW-COLLAR WORKFORCE This growing sector of workers is part of the new-collar workforcea class of skilled professionals who blend technical know-how with practical, hands-on experience. These are not white-collar or blue-collar jobs. They’re something new. New-collar jobs typically dont require a four-year degree but demand rigorous training, problem solving, and adaptability. Theyre high-impact roles that are essential to Americas competitiveness in the AI ageand they come with real staying power. According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025, frontline jobs including construction are among the fastest growing in the world, and are expected to remain in demand through 2030 and beyond. These are careers, not just jobs. And yet, we face a looming labor shortage crisis. SKILLED, ESSENTIAL, AND IN SHORT SUPPLY Americas talent pipeline for the skilled trades is under severe strain. Many of the professionals powering todays infrastructure boom are nearing retirement and too few young people are being trained to take their place. Outdated perceptions about vocational training and a college-or-bust mindset have led to chronic underinvestment in trade education. We urgently need to rethink how we train, attract, and retain critical frontline workers. That means renewing support for vocational schools and community colleges, modernizing apprenticeship programs, and changing how we talk about trade careers in the digital age. It also means building partnerships between industry and educators that deliver real-world pathways to meaningful employment. But talk is cheap. We have built the demandnow we need the workforce to match it. Thats why my company, Compass, and our industry partners are working with Texas State Technical College to establish the MEI Data Center Program, a replicable model for nationwide workforce development. It is a hands-on, curriculum-driven initiative that equips students with the real-world skills required to launch careers in the data center industry. WHY THIS MATTERS NOW The future of AI, edge computing, and cloud innovation depends not only on breakthroughs in silicon or software, but on the physical infrastructure that makes those breakthroughs usable at scale. Data centers are no longer just tech assetstheyre critical infrastructure. Just like our power grids, water systems, and communication networks, they must be resilient, redundant, and ready to support mission-critical workloads. And without a robust, future-ready labor force to build and maintain them, innovation will stall. This isnt just an economic challenge, its a national security issue. The global race for AI dominance will be won not only in R&D labs but on construction sites and in control rooms across the country. A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION We cant solve this problem in silos. Building the engine of the AI age requires a coordinated, nationwide commitment. Government, industry, and education leaders must come together to invest in the new-collar workforcebefore the gap becomes a chasm. That means funding technical education. It means telling a different, better story about skilled trades as pathways to success. And it means recognizing and honoring the people who make our digital lives possible. We cant automate our way out of the skilled labor shortage. We need to attract, train and invest in the people who will literally build our future. The AI revolution may be powered by machines, but its built by people. Its time we started acting like it. Chris Crosby is the founder and CEO of Compass Datacenters.
Category:
E-Commerce
Today, design drives effective business strategy, but design education hasnt caught up. As companies scramble to digitally transform, adapt to the climate crisis, and navigate culture and trade wars, designs role has expandedmoving to the center of how organizations shape products, services, and systems. With this elevated role comes a sobering reality: Many design leaders feel increasingly out of their depth. Promoted for creative excellence, they suddenly find themselves navigating boardrooms, budgets, business models, and organizational change without the proper preparation. As Fast Company puts it, a generation of design leaders are in the midst of a big design freak-out, as many realize the creative confidence that propelled careers doesnt always translate into executive credibility. One senior design leader recently admitted on LinkedIn that they were unprepared to lead people, lead change, transform processes, make sound business decisions, or even understand how a company works. This isnt a failure of individual designers. Its a failure of the system that educates them. WHERE TRADITIONAL DESIGN EDUCATION STOPS SHORT Traditional design programs excel at teaching craft: visual communication, UX research, design thinking. But they rarely prepare graduates for the realities of organizational leadership; topics like business strategy, change management, or stakeholder alignment are often considered outside the domain of design education. Its not a matter of neglect. Its a matter of scope. Undergraduate- and graduate-level design programs arent meant to produce executives, just as undergraduate business degrees dont turn students into CEOs. Those leadership capabilities are built over time, and often require further training later in ones career. Yet while business leaders have long had access to MBAs, corporate academies, and executive development programs, design has had no equivalent, until now. THE RISE OF EXECUTIVE DESIGN EDUCATION Recent years have seen a wave of new programs spurred by this education gap. Indeed, my own employer, iF Design, last month launched the iF DESIGN ACADEMY. Drawing on decades of global design authority, the Academy develops leaders who combine creative excellence with business fluency. Our courses push participants to build skills in leadership, strategy, sustainability, and emerging technology. The goal is simple: Help mid- to senior-level design leaders grow into the role todays landscape requires. FOUNDATIONS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP These programs arent about turning designers into MBAs. They aim to cultivate a hybrid mindsetone that blends creativity with executive acumen. Core skills taught include: Understanding how businesses create and measure value Communicating with influence across organizational functions Navigating metrics, org structures, and operational complexity Driving change in environments that resist it Leading teams with psychological safety and purpose These arent nice to have skills, but the foundations of effective leadership in any domain. Doug Powell, lead lecturer at the iF DESIGN ACADEMY and former VP of design at IBM, captures the challenge well: While many design leadership courses focus on the management and performance of the teamwhich is critically importantmy course focuses on the skills, behaviors, and tactics of navigating the broader ecosystem of leadership in complex organizations. This outward focus is too often dismissed in leadership training, but without these essential skills, leaders will continue to struggle. DESIGNS POWER IS REALBUT ONLY WITH LEADERS WHO CAN HARNESS IT McKinseys widely cited 2018 report, The Business Value of Design, found that companies in the top quartile of design performance outpaced industry benchmarks by as much as 2:1. Good design drives growth, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage, but only when leaders embed it into business strategy. Design thinkers often serve as translators, connecting human-centered thinking to business outcomes. To succeed in this task, design leaders need more than intuition, they need executive fluency. As Katrina Alcorn, managing director at Accenture Song, put it: The backlash against design is a de facto backlash against innovation. As Alcorn reminds us in her piece Good Design Is (Still) Good Business, companies that slash design roles for short-term savings risk long-term irrelevance. Good design creates real business value, but only if design leaders have the authority and tools to lead. Today, design extends far beyond aesthetics. It shapes how organizations think, operate, and deliver value in a volatile world. That responsibility grows larger every year, and our investment in design leaders must grow with it. Executive design education is not a luxuryit is essential to unlocking designs full power to drive progress, resilience, and a better future for all. Lisa Gralnek is global head of sustainability and impact for iF Design, managing director of iF Design USA Inc., and creator/host of the award-winning podcast, FUTURE OF XYZ.
Category:
E-Commerce
According to the National Association of Corporate Directors, boardrooms today face a dizzying list of risks: economic volatility, geopolitical tensions, cybersecurity threats, technological disruption, and a tightening labor market. But the one risk too often overlooked? That businesses rely on healthy people and healthy communities. Despite spending more on healthcare than any other nation, the U.S. is falling behind on nearly every major health indicator. Life expectancy is declining, chronic illness is rising, and access to care remains uncertain for one in four Americans. These arent just public health issues. Theyre economic issues. They weaken our workforce, strain businesses, threaten national security, and erode trust in institutions. The equation is simple: Healthy communities fuel healthy businesses. One Deloitte report estimates that improving health across the U.S. could add $2.8 trillion to GDP by 2040, with corporate profits possibly increasing by $763 billion. In todays environment, companies prioritizing health attract better talent, earn more trust, and stay more competitive. Its a business risk no leader can afford to ignore. FROM CHARITY TO STRATEGY For too long, corporate social responsibility was treated as an afterthought. A check written here, a charitable initiative there. But stakeholders are demanding more. A recent survey found that 84% of Americans believe corporations have a responsibility to strengthen the communities where they operate, and 72% say those corporations should help solve major systemic issues. Today, employees, customers, and investors expect it. Businesses are being judged not only by quarterly earnings, but by how they show up in communities. In a polarized world, trust is fragile. And once lost, it is hard to regain. Thats why business leaders can no longer view community health as charity. It must be seen for what it is: strategy. WHAT WORKS At CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, Ive seen firsthand what happens when companies get it right. Weve had the privilege of working with businesses that are moving beyond charitable donations to co-lead real solutions: Weve partnered with Ameriprise Bank to host a series of workshops to advance mental wellness in the workplace. Ardelyx is facilitating community engagement activities to increase access to services. The Samaritan Health Project, Inc. hosted health fairs and connected residents to pharmacies that provided discounted rates on prescriptions. Hilti launched Mental Health Mondays for employees. These leaders recognize the truth: When community health declines, so does the bottom line. These efforts succeed because they are local, collaborative, and sustained. They arent acts of charity. They are smart investments in a healthier, more productive future. COLLABORATE FOR GREATER IMPACT In the last century, value was measured almost exclusively in financial terms, such as quarterly returns, market share, and shareholder wealth. But that equation is shifting. Today, the true currency of competitive advantage lies in the ability to collaborate across boundaries, earn trust in a skeptical world, and harness data for collective impact. Thats the vision behind our new Leadership Council for Healthier Communities (LCHC)the first national council of its kind designed to bring leaders from business, philanthropy, health systems, and grassroots organizations together to cocreate solutions and measure results. LCHC isnt about replacing what companies are already doing. Its about connecting, aligning, and scaling those effortswhether thats addressing maternal health, tackling obesity and cardiometabolic disease, strengthening nutrition and food security, or ethically leveraging new tools like artificial intelligence to improve access to care. In short: Its a place where organizations across sectors can collaborate to turn commitments into outcomes, and strategy into results. A STRONGER FUTURE, TOGETHER Declining community health isnt an abstract concernits already hitting the bottom line. And unless businesses act, the costs will only grow. But the reverse is also true. When companies invest in healthier communities, employees thrive, talent pipelines expand, and customer trust deepens. The companies that thrive in the next decade will be those that treat community health as strategynot as philanthropy or PR. That work cant happen in silos. It requires leaders willing to collaborate across sectors, share what works, and hold themselves accountable for results. The next generation of value creators will be those who partner across boundaries, invest in the health of people and places, and make trust their competitive edge. Thats the vision behind the Leadership Council for Healthier Communities, a platform where business leaders can scale what works and unlock growth that benefits everyone. When we invest in healthier communities, we dont just create stronger neighborhoodswe create stronger businesses, stronger economies, and a stronger future. Because the health of business and the health of communities are inextricably linked. Jean Accius, PhD is president and CEO at CHC: Creating Healthier Communities.
Category:
E-Commerce
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