July 2026Martin Regan5 mins read
The Construction Boom Happening Beyond the Data Center
Much has been written and said about the exponential growth of data center construction across the US. Less attention has been paid to what happens around those projects though.
Every hyperscale development requires roads, power infrastructure, housing, schools, hospitals, and commercial developments to support a growing workforce. For many contractors and construction professionals, those surrounding projects are creating just as much opportunity as the data centers themselves.
Martin Regan, Director at LVI Associates, has seen this transformation firsthand.
People are building massive data centers in remote locations. What they have to do around that is then start investing in a bunch of critical infrastructure projects. People move there, suddenly they've got to build a town so people can live and work at this data center. Then they've got to build schools, hospitals, everything you can think of.
For contractors and construction professionals, this changes where the opportunities are. While data center projects remain highly competitive, the surrounding infrastructure is creating sustained work across multiple sectors of the built environment.
A wider construction ecosystem
A hyperscale data center doesn't just create one project. Instead, it creates an entire construction ecosystem.
As thousands of workers move into an area, investment follows. Roads are widened, utilities upgraded, housing developments built, and new schools, hospitals, and commercial facilities emerge to support growing communities. Existing infrastructure often needs expanding too, creating years of work that extends well beyond the original development.
Austin, Texas is one example of how quickly that transformation can happen, according to Martin:
Tesla built a massive semiconductor facility, and then there was a data center there as well. What has ended up happening in Austin now is they've had to build small towns around it that didn't exist before. If you go into Austin now, every road is being widened because the traffic's grown massively due to this.
Martin is seeing the same pattern play out up and down the entire of the US. As hyperscale developments move into new markets, they're creating long-term opportunities across transportation, utilities, healthcare, education, commercial construction, and MEP, often for years after the data center itself is complete.
Opportunity beyond hyperscale
The ripple effect isn't just creating more projects. It's changing who ultimately wins them.
As many of the industry's largest contractors dedicate more of their resources to mission critical construction, they're stepping away from projects they would traditionally have delivered. Universities, hospitals, municipal buildings, and commercial developments still need to be built, creating opportunities for regional contractors to fill the gap.
Martin has seen this shift happen across several markets:
The firms that used to do the universities and similar things like that are no longer there. They're just going to do data centers.
For some businesses, that change has driven significant growth:
We've got a couple of firms that we work with... they've grown by 40% in a year because they're picking up the projects that larger contractors have moved away from. Those projects are still worth around $3 million each.
Rather than competing directly for hyperscale developments, these firms are strengthening their backlogs by delivering the schools, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings, and public infrastructure that growing communities still need.
Why this matters for construction professionals
The ripple effect of hyperscale development is also creating more career opportunities across the construction industry.
Professionals no longer need to work directly on data center projects to benefit from this wave of investment. Engineers, project managers, superintendents, estimators, MEP specialists, and construction leaders are finding opportunities across the wider infrastructure being built alongside these facilities.
As communities continue to expand, employers are investing in experienced professionals who can deliver healthcare facilities, educational buildings, utilities, transportation improvements, and commercial developments.
Why emerging markets are attracting construction talent
Many of today's largest developments are taking place outside traditional metropolitan construction hubs.
According to Martin, locations that would once have attracted relatively little construction activity are now becoming major project centers:
In some areas, the remote locations are better than the major cities because it's all new. It's never been done before.
States such as Alabama are attracting increasing investment thanks to available land, expanding infrastructure, and access to power and transportation networks.
For construction professionals willing to travel or relocate, these emerging markets offer the chance to work on large-scale projects while helping shape entirely new communities.
Looking beyond the data center
The data center boom is reshaping far more than digital infrastructure.
As investment continues, opportunities are spreading across healthcare, education, utilities, transportation, commercial construction, and the wider built environment.
The next major project won't always be inside a data center. It could be the hospital serving a growing workforce, or building a school supporting a new community. It could also be the utility upgrades, commercial developments, or transportation projects that make long-term growth possible.
As hyperscale investment continues across the US, the ripple effect is creating opportunities throughout the construction market.
Read for your next construction opportunity?
Whether you're interested in hyperscale developments or the infrastructure projects supporting them, now is an excellent time to explore where your experience can take you next.
At LVI Associates, our construction specialists work with professionals across MEP, mission critical, healthcare, commercial, civil, and infrastructure construction, connecting them with opportunities that align with their technical expertise and long-term career goals.
Explore our latest construction roles or submit your resume today.