Key Takeaway
The AI boom is not creating jobs only for software developers. The rapid expansion of data centers is increasing demand for electrical engineers, network technicians, cooling specialists, maintenance teams, security personnel and project managers. The U.S. experience shows that a meaningful share of AI’s economic footprint is physical: servers, power systems, fiber links, buildings and the people who keep them running.
For Georgia, the trend is timely. In the second quarter of 2026, the information and communication sector employed 53.0 thousand people and reported average monthly remuneration of GEL 4,463.9. At the same time, construction began in Tbilisi on a new 2 MW commercial data center designed to support cloud computing and AI workloads. The opportunity is real, but data centers are capital-intensive and typically employ relatively small permanent teams. The central question is whether Georgia can convert infrastructure investment into technical skills, higher-value employment and regional digital services.
AI Is Also an Infrastructure Economy
AI is often described as software that lives in the cloud, but the cloud itself is physical. Data centers require uninterrupted electricity, cooling systems, fiber-optic connectivity, network equipment, security systems and continuous technical monitoring. As AI adoption expands, labor demand therefore extends beyond software engineering into more traditional technical and engineering occupations.
A September 21, 2026 Wall Street Journal report described the fast-growing U.S. labor market around data centers. The article cited roughly 2,700 operating facilities, almost 400 under construction and at least 1,500 in planning. It also highlighted strong interest in data-center jobs and wage premiums for maintenance and installation roles relative to similar jobs elsewhere.
This matters because public debate about AI employment often focuses primarily on substitution: which jobs may be automated. The infrastructure side points in the opposite direction. AI creates demand for electricians, mechanical and electrical engineers, network technicians, data-center operators, construction project managers, security staff and specialized suppliers.
Many New AI Jobs Do Not Look Like Tech-Office Jobs
Data-center work sits at the intersection of technology and physical infrastructure. Running servers at scale requires expertise in electrical systems, cooling, networking, building operations and safety. This gives countries with developing engineering, energy and telecommunications capabilities another route into the AI economy beyond producing large numbers of software developers.
There are limits. Construction can create a temporary surge in labor demand, while the finished facility may operate with a much smaller permanent staff. Work schedules can also be demanding, including night shifts, on-call duty and rapid response to technical incidents. The quality of these jobs should therefore be judged not only by pay but also by duration, skill transferability and career progression.
Georgia’s ICT Sector Already Pays a Premium
According to Georgia’s National Statistics Office, Geostat, employment in the information and communication sector reached 53.0 thousand in the second quarter of 2026, up from 49.8 thousand a year earlier. According to calculations by BTU researchers, this equals annual growth of about 6.4%. Average monthly remuneration in the sector was GEL 4,463.9.
Across Georgia, average monthly nominal earnings of employees were GEL 2,389.3 in the same quarter. According to calculations by BTU researchers, the information and communication sector’s average remuneration was about 86.8% above the national average. This does not imply that every data-center role would earn such a premium, because the sector includes many different occupations and business models. It does show that Georgia’s digital economy is already one of the country’s relatively high-paying areas of employment.
Sector turnover reached GEL 2.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, compared with GEL 2.2 billion a year earlier. According to calculations by BTU researchers, the nominal increase was about 4.5%. Taken together, employment, pay and turnover indicate that Georgia is not starting from zero in building the ecosystem required for AI infrastructure.
Data Centers Are Becoming an Investment Theme in Georgia
In August 2026, Silknet broke ground on a new commercial data center in Tbilisi. The company says the facility will provide 2 MW of IT capacity, support cloud computing, AI workloads and enterprise services, and is being engineered to obtain Uptime Institute Tier III certification. Operations will be handled by Silk Cloud.
This does not mean Georgia has already become a regional AI-infrastructure hub. A 2 MW facility is small compared with hyperscale campuses being developed in parts of the U.S. and Europe. For Georgia, however, the more important effect may be ecosystem formation: local expertise in power systems, cooling, networking, cybersecurity, cloud services and 24/7 operations.
Georgia’s Communications Commission has linked the country’s digital-hub potential to Black Sea fiber-optic infrastructure and Europe-Asia connectivity. Geography alone is not enough. A regional data hub also needs reliable and competitively priced electricity, high-capacity international links, cybersecurity, regulatory clarity and a workforce capable of operating mission-critical infrastructure.
Where the Opportunity Is Most Realistic
Georgia’s most realistic opportunity is probably not to build thousands of data centers, but to specialize at a scale appropriate to a small economy. One route is hosting and cloud services for domestic and regional firms. A second is cybersecurity and network-management services. A third is technical human capital that can support both local and international infrastructure projects.
Education is central. Data-center occupations combine electrical engineering, energy systems, HVAC and cooling, networking, Linux and server administration, cybersecurity, automation and technical safety. Universities and vocational colleges therefore have a reason to broaden AI-related training beyond coding and model usage.
The business opportunity is also wider than operating the facility itself. Local companies can participate in construction, electrical systems, monitoring, cabling, cooling, maintenance, physical security and cybersecurity. The depth of that local supplier network will determine how much of the economic value created by infrastructure investment remains in Georgia.
The Risk: Large Capital Spending, Limited Permanent Headcount
Expectations around AI infrastructure can become exaggerated. Data centers are highly capital-intensive and do not necessarily create large permanent workforces. International competition is also rising not only for skilled workers, but for electricity, land, network capacity and capital.
Energy resilience is especially important for Georgia. AI infrastructure requires predictable, uninterrupted power, and for larger projects electricity costs become a central competitive factor. A data-center strategy therefore cannot function as a stand-alone technology policy. It has to connect energy, telecommunications, education and cybersecurity.
According to an assessment by BTU researchers, Georgia’s most realistic near-term gain is not mass employment but growth in high-skill technical jobs, local service markets and the quality of digital infrastructure. If these components develop together, data centers can become an anchor for a broader digital economy. If they do not, the investment may remain primarily a physical asset with a limited employment effect.
Conclusion
AI is creating new occupations, but many of them have little to do with writing code at a desk. Demand is rising around electricity, cooling, networks, security, infrastructure and operations. That is the key lesson for Georgia.
The country already has a growing and relatively high-paying information and communication sector, a new data-center project aimed at international standards and an ambition to strengthen regional digital connectivity. The outcome will depend on whether skills development keeps pace with infrastructure. Georgia’s AI labor market can expand, but only if investment in physical infrastructure is matched by investment in human capital.
Data and Main Sources
National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) – Information and Communication: https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/410/information-and-communication2465
National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) – Wages: https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/39/wages
Silknet – Silknet Breaks Ground on Georgia’s First Tier III Certified Commercial Data Center: https://silknet.com/en/media/singleview/2534-silknetma-sakartveloshi-pirveli-tier-iii-sertifitsirebuli-komertsiuli-monatsemta-tsentris-mshenebloba-daitsqo
Communications Commission of Georgia – regional digital hub potential: https://www.comcom.ge/en/news/press-releases/vakhtang-abashidze-georgia-is-the-only-country-in-this-region-that-has-a-direct-infrastructural-border-with-europe-which-will-help-us-establish-ourselves-as-a-regional-digital-hub.page
The Wall Street Journal – “What It’s Like to Be a Worker in a Data Center”, September 21, 2026, user-provided print/PDF edition.
Prepared by the academic team of Business and Technology University and the BTUAI Research Team, Tbilisi, Georgia.