TL;DR: A huge AI data center campus reportedly leased by Anthropic is going up in Hubbard, Texas. State filings show building construction scheduled from January 2026 into early 2028, so electricians, MEP trades, construction managers, and safety managers have a multi-year window to get in.
Construction candidates often ask me whether data centers are worth chasing, especially people who built careers on battery plants, chip fabs, and auto plants. Hubbard is a good test case: it is big, it has public filings, and the schedule is long enough to plan around.
What is confirmed, and what is only reported
On November 12, 2025, Anthropic announced a $50 billion investment in American computing infrastructure, covering data centers in Texas and New York. It said the program would create about 800 permanent jobs and 2,400 construction jobs.
The Hubbard details come mostly from media reports. In March 2026, DCD, citing the Financial Times, reported that Anthropic signed the lease for the Hubbard campus that month. A June 2026 Hoodline article noted that the companies had not confirmed those ties in that piece, so treat the lease as reported, not announced.
The Hubbard campus at a glance
Hubbard is a small town in Hill County, south of Dallas-Fort Worth and northeast of Waco. The numbers do not always match between sources, so each one is named.
| Item | What’s reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Site size | About 2,800 acres (DCD) / 2,900 acres (Octus) | DCD, Octus |
| First phase | About 500MW, targeted later in 2026 | DCD, Octus |
| Building 1 construction | Jan 2026 to Oct 2027 (Texas TDLR filing) | Octus |
| Building 2 construction | Jun 2026 to Jan 2028 (Texas TDLR filing) | Octus |
| First building | About $400 million, about 491,378 sq ft (state filing) | Hoodline |
| On-site power permits | About 612.93 MW natural gas, about 152.75 MW emergency diesel | Hoodline |
For a job seeker, the schedule is the line that matters. Two buildings with overlapping construction windows into early 2028 means this is not a short sprint. Crews will be needed for building, energizing, and commissioning.
Which trades a project like this needs
Nobody outside the project has a staffing plan for this site. But data center campuses tend to follow the same pattern: the shell goes up fast, and the real labor goes into power, cooling, and systems.
- Electrical infrastructure: medium-voltage distribution, switchgear, transformers, busway, conduit, and cable. Usually the biggest trade on site.
- Generator yards: setting, wiring, and testing backup and on-site generation, which the gas and diesel permits point toward.
- UPS and battery rooms: installing and testing uninterruptible power systems.
- Cooling plants: chillers, piping, and controls. Pipefitter, HVAC, and controls tech territory.
- Fiber, low voltage, and security: structured cabling, building automation, access control.
- Commissioning: testing every system before it goes live. Experienced commissioning people are always hard to find.
On the management side, expect project and construction managers, MEP coordinators, superintendents, schedulers, QA/QC inspectors, and safety managers. Electricians come first on almost every data center list I see.
How your factory experience carries over
Much of what you did on battery and chip plant sites translates directly:
- Industrial electrician: MV distribution, switchgear, generator and UPS work. Highlight voltage levels, energization, and lockout/tagout.
- Pipefitter or HVAC: cooling plants and chilled water systems. Highlight large-bore piping and pressure testing.
- MEP coordinator or engineer: coordinating power and cooling scopes. Highlight BIM coordination and submittals.
- Construction manager or superintendent: phase or building lead. Highlight fast-track, multi-contractor sites.
- Safety manager: site safety and energized work oversight. Highlight your OSHA 30 card and high-headcount sites.
If you are in safety, these sites mix heavy electrical work, lifts, and many contractors at once. I cover the skills that carry over in building a construction safety manager career and safety jobs at battery and chip plants.
The practical stuff: cards, travel, and pay
Hubbard is a small town, so much of the workforce will travel in. Get the basics in order before you apply.
- Have your OSHA card ready. Here is how OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 differ.
- Ask about per diem. Rules vary by contractor. Read the construction per diem guide before you compare offers.
- Understand overtime. Know whether you are hourly or salaried and how overtime is calculated. See construction pay rules and overtime.
- Make your resume specific. “Energized medium-voltage switchgear” beats “electrical work.”
Before you accept, ask who your direct employer is (general contractor, subcontractor, or staffing agency), which building or phase you are assigned to, whether per diem is paid every day or only workdays, and whether there is a path to the next phase.
If you are bilingual, Texas also has a large Korean-affiliated industrial base, mapped out in Korean companies hiring in Texas, and data center cooling is pulling in suppliers too, as covered in data center cooling jobs in Virginia.
FAQ
How long will construction last?
Texas TDLR filings cited by Octus show Building 1 running January 2026 to October 2027 and Building 2 running June 2026 to January 2028. Schedules can change.
How many construction jobs will there be?
Anthropic said its overall $50 billion program would create about 2,400 construction jobs and 800 permanent jobs across its sites. There is no official headcount for Hubbard alone that I have seen.
Do I need data center experience to get hired?
Not always. Industrial electrical, mechanical, and safety experience from factories transfers well. Commissioning and mission-critical experience give you an edge.
Project details reflect public announcements and media reports as of October 2026, and some are unconfirmed by the companies. Sources: Anthropic, DCD, Octus, Hoodline.
Technician tools and references on Amazon
Ask what the employer provides before you buy. Many plants issue tools and PPE on day one.
- NEC (NFPA 70) code book
- Ugly’s Electrical References
- Insulated electrician hand tool set
- ASTM F2413 safety-toe work boots
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