In today’s construction US news, read about how the White House has been forewarned by OpenAI that its ambitious energy and data center initiatives will require tens of thousands of new tradespeople, which will put a burden on the country’s skilled labor market and change it for years to come. OpenAI presented AI as a “once-in-a-century opportunity” in its most recent submission to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), but it also provided a sobering appraisal of the work needed to make it a reality. Meanwhile, to increase US shipbuilding capacity, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and HD Hyundai Heavy (HHI) Industries have inked a deal to work together on the construction of commercial and military ships. The agreement focuses on possible pooled investments and a distributed manufacturing strategy and was signed during the APEC 2025 meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea. Lastly, a White House official who spoke to NBC News stated that the White House dismissed all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an impartial federal body that would have examined President Donald Trump’s ballroom construction project, on Tuesday.
US Needs Army of Construction Workers and Electricians, Says OpenAI
Original Source: OpenAI Says US Needs an Army of Construction Workers, Electricians
With tens of thousands of trained tradespeople needed to create enormous data centers and energy infrastructure, OpenAI cautions that its AI growth could put pressure on American labor.
President Donald Trump wants to build an arch similar to the Arc de Triomphe on the banks of the Potomac River.
The shortage of skilled hands is becoming an unforeseen roadblock in the quest to dominate AI.
OpenAI cautioned the White House that its ambitious data center and energy initiatives will require tens of thousands of new tradespeople, straining and reshaping the nation’s skilled labor market for years.
OpenAI called AI a “once-in-a-century opportunity,” but it also acknowledged the work needed to achieve it in its latest submission to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
Labor shortage: 20% skilled trades needed
Massive, power-hungry data centers are essential for AI model development.
Under its Stargate initiative, OpenAI is developing six enormous data centers in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin to expand its infrastructure. This effort includes roughly 7 GW of anticipated capacity and $400 billion in three-year investment.
Scaling up involves human investment. An OpenAI review of its development plans estimates that the US will need “20 percent of its current skilled trades workforce over the next five years” to build “data centers and energy infrastructure.”
The business stated, “The country will need many more electricians, mechanics, metal and ironworkers, carpenters, plumbers, and other construction trade workers than we currently have.”
OpenAI is creating new employment paths outside Silicon Valley to meet the gap.
It will launch its Certifications and Jobs Platform in 2026. This effort will partner with community colleges and trade schools near Stargate locations, commencing in Abilene, Texas, to train and certify workers in construction, energy, and technology.
OpenAI believes focusing on the workforce is essential to spreading the benefits of the AI boom. Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer, wrote to the OSTP, “We see this reindustrialization as a foundational way for the U.S. to ‘predistribute’ the economic benefits of the Intelligence Age from the very start.”
Manpower to power the future: Energy dilemma
The energy and labor crises are interconnected. To keep its AI advantage, OpenAI said the US must close its power difference with China, which it termed an “electron gap.” China built 429 gigawatts of electrical capacity in 2024, while the US added 51.
OpenAI wants the government to start a national project to create 100 gigawatts of new energy per year to close that gap.
The corporation also proposed modernizing energy permitting procedures and creating a national strategic reserve for vital raw resources modeled after the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
The fundamentals include copper, aluminum, processed rare earth elements, and raw semiconductors. The corporation wants to “reduce our dependence on the PRC, stabilize prices during shortages, and ensure secure access to materials vital for US AI infrastructure.”
Lehane said, “If we let the US occupy the center of this Age, it will lift all Americans.”
Joint Ship Construction, US Capacity Growth by HII, Hyundai
Original Source: HII, Hyundai to Collaborate on Ship Construction, Expand US Capacity
To increase US shipbuilding capacity, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and HD Hyundai Heavy (HHI) Industries have partnered on commercial and military ship construction.
The pact, signed at APEC 2025 in Gyeongju, South Korea, involves spread production and pooled investments.
The collaboration allows HII’s naval construction knowledge and HHI’s large-scale commercial and support vessel capabilities to work together on US Navy auxiliary ship initiatives.
We collaborate on engineering, research, and development.
Automation, robots, AI, and machine learning in shipyard processes are also included.
The companies will also coordinate lifecycle support for US Navy vessels in the Indo-Pacific to boost sustainment and repair.
“This partnership will generate powerful synergies by combining Korea’s cutting-edge shipbuilding technologies with the US defense sector’s strong market competitiveness,” said HHI President Joo Won-ho.
Collective Projects
The latest announcement builds on previous initiatives between the organizations.
HII and HHI agreed to jointly seek the US Navy’s Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) concept design contract this month.
The NGLS program proposes to deploy small logistics ships to refuel, rearm, and restock US Navy and Marine Corps Marines afloat or onshore for scattered, expeditionary operations.
In April, the businesses inked an agreement to share shipbuilding methods to cut costs and speed up construction.
A South Korean shipbuilder proposed to build US Aegis ships the same month.
White House Fires Washington Presidential Construction Review Board
Original Source: White House fires board that reviews presidential construction projects in Washington
The president intends to construct a new ballroom on the White House grounds as well as a triumphal arch along the Potomac River.
An official told NBC News that the White House fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal commission that would have reviewed President Donald Trump’s ballroom renovation project, on Tuesday.
The official said the White House is “preparing to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are more aligned with President Trump’s America First Policies” and that the six board members, all appointed by former President Joe Biden, were “terminated, effective immediately,” via White House email.
The Washington Post reported the firings.
The commission’s website states that the board advises the president, Congress, and the District of Columbia “on matters of design and aesthetics, as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation’s capital.”
The board members were fired shortly after Trump announced plans to build an arch along the Potomac River like France’s Arc de Triomphe and a new ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood until days earlier.
Last week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization created by Congress to preserve historic buildings, urged the Trump administration to stop East Wing demolition until ballroom plans were approved by the CFA and the National Capital Planning Commission, which reviews and comments on Washington construction projects.
Last Monday, a White House official told NBC News that the NCPC will receive construction plans “soon when it is time.”
Trump named three new NCPC board members in July, including his advisor William Scharf, who is now chair.
There is precedent for building without the Commission of Fine Arts. The White House Historical Association reports that President Harry Truman removed commission members and built a balcony on the South Portico after the CFA advised against it in 1947.
The 1910-founded CFA assessed first lady Melania Trump’s 2019 tennis pavilion project at the White House during Trump’s first term. Completed in 2020.
Summary of today’s construction news
In summary, the company intends to deploy its Certifications and Jobs Platform in 2026. To offer training and certifications in the high-demand construction, energy, and technology roles, this program seeks to collaborate with community colleges and trade schools close to the Stargate sites, beginning in locations like Abilene, Texas.
Meanwhile, as part of its distributed, expeditionary operations, the NGLS program seeks to deploy small logistics ships capable of refueling, rearming, and restocking US Navy and Marine Corps personnel both ashore and afloat. To cut costs and expedite construction, the companies signed a memorandum of understanding in April to exchange shipbuilding expertise.
Lastly, there is a precedent for advancing construction proposals without consulting the Commission of Fine Arts. According to the White House Historical Association, President Harry Truman removed commission members and proceeded with the construction of a balcony on the South Portico of the White House in 1947 despite the CFA’s advice to the contrary. Melania Trump and the First Lady proposed constructing a tennis pavilion at the White House during Trump’s first term, which was examined by the CFA, founded by Congress in 1910. They completed it in 2020.
