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How do we solve the workforce crisis? By investing in those who have already proven they can serve.

When people talk about the biggest constraints facing the data center industry, the discussion usually focuses on power or permitting challenges. But in reality, our biggest constraint is people.

For decades, our industry has faced a growing workforce crisis, and it continues to be one of the biggest barriers to expanding digital infrastructure at the speed and scale the global economy demands. Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the scale of the shortage into sharp focus: our industry needs an additional 340,000 (IM State of the Digital Infrastructure ) workers in the United States alone. That number grows significantly when you consider the global shortage of skilled data center talent.

The urgency of this challenge has accelerated dramatically in recent years. The rapid rise of AI has fundamentally reshaped data center demand, driving unprecedented investment in new infrastructure and creating an even greater need for skilled people to build and operate it. The industry is not just growing, it is transforming, and the workforce needed to support that transformation must evolve just as quickly.

Military veterans represent one of the largest underutilized talent pools available to our industry. When we founded Salute, our goal was to provide this exceptional community with meaningful careers while helping an industry that desperately needed the discipline, leadership, and operational excellence veterans bring.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) estimates that veterans represent roughly 5% of the working-age population in the United States, with millions more around the world. What makes veterans uniquely suited to careers in data centers is not just technical aptitude, it is cultural alignment. Veterans leave military service with discipline, teamwork, accountability, and an instinctive understanding of procedures and why they matter. Those are exactly the qualities our industry depends on. With targeted technical training, they become some of the most capable professionals in our workforce. The same individuals who were entrusted with protecting our nation are uniquely positioned to build, operate, and safeguard the digital infrastructure that underpins our economy.

Salute was built around this belief from day one. Thirteen (13) years ago, when few service providers were actively recruiting veteran talent, we developed a program that helped transitioning service members build the technical skills needed for successful careers in data centers. Our approach has always been simple. As Salute CEO Erich Sanchack says, “We don’t want to interview a veteran. We want to hire the veteran.” Military occupation specialty has never been the deciding factor. We hire for the mindset, discipline, and leadership veterans already possess, then invest in the technical skills needed for long-term success. Today, more than 20,000 military veterans and individuals from non-traditional backgrounds have launched careers through that approach.

That commitment continues to grow through the Salute Military Community Pathway, which helps active-duty military personnel, veterans, reservists, National Guard/Reserve members, and military spouses transition into data center careers through structured training, mentorship, and ongoing career support. The program is further strengthened through partnerships such as the U.S. Department of War SkillBridge program, which enables transitioning service members to gain industry experience before leaving active duty, and through collaboration with the iMasons Armed Forces Initiative, where industry leaders are helping create greater awareness and access to careers across the digital infrastructure industry.

These are important steps, but they are only part of the solution. Solving our industry’s workforce challenge will require a long-term commitment to expanding the talent pipeline, not simply competing for the same people. The military community has already demonstrated the leadership, resilience, and operational excellence our industry depends on.

When we started Salute, our purpose was to create a pathway for members of the military community to continue serving in a new and vital way: by helping build, operate, and protect the digital infrastructure that now powers the modern world. That mission reflected a deep commitment to the veteran community, but it has also proven to be a powerful and practical answer to one of the industry’s most urgent challenges. People are as essential to resilient infrastructure as the mechanical and electrical systems themselves, and no organization can afford to underinvest in any part of that foundation. Companies that struggle most with the talent shortage are often those that have not made sufficient commitments to training, onboarding, and long-term workforce development. In an increasingly competitive market, the organizations that lead will be those that invest wisely in people and recognize that talent is every bit as critical to success as technology.

Learn more about the Salute Military Community Pathway, including the DoW SkillBridge Program, and how we’re helping veterans transition into careers in data center operations.

Explore the Military Community Pathway

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