TheJobWalk E.29

Welcome to this week’s edition of TheJobWalk! Amazon powers forward with an immense $20 billion investment, while the colossal $500 billion Stargate Project breaks ground, redefining ambitious construction. Data gets a sleek new crib as Powerhouse 95 kicks off, and Brazil's skyline rises boldly with the impressive Senna Tower. Ready for the details? Let’s dive in!

NEWS
Amazon goes BIG with $20 Billion Investment

Amazon plans to invest $20 billion to build two new data-centre “AI innovation campuses” in Pennsylvania- in Salem Township and Falls Township near Philadelphia, aiming to expand its cloud computing and artificial intelligence capabilities 

This investment will create at least 1,250 high-skilled tech jobs within AWS and support thousands of additional construction and supply-chain roles. Since 2010, Amazon has already invested over $26 billion in Pennsylvania, accounting for 27,000 direct jobs and 37,100 indirect.

One campus will tap 1,920 MW of carbon-free nuclear power from the Susquehanna plant under a long-term deal through 2042, helping AWS meet its growing AI energy needs 

This is the largest private-sector investment in Pennsylvania’s history. It supports economic growth, energy innovation, and AI infrastructure, and shows how tech giants are building new future-first infrastructure across the U.S.

TheJobWalk’s got eyes on this too...

📰 New construction set to grow U.S (JPMorgan)
📰 US DOT Clears nearly $10 Billion Backlog (ENR)
📰 Trump reached a trade deal with China (EuroNews)
📰 White House breaks ground on Garden (APNews)

PROJECTS
Build of The Week

$500 Billion Stargate Project is Underway

Announced in January 2025, the Stargate Project will invest up to $500 billion over four years to build 20 hyperscale data centers across the U.S.

Construction began at the first site in Abilene, Texas earlier this year, with additional locations being scouted in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Wisconsin. 

The project is expected to create over 100,000 jobs across construction and long-term operational roles.

• Clients: OpenAI, Oracle, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Arm, SoftBank

• Sector: Data Centers/AI Infrastructure

• Value: $500 Billion

• Locations: Nationwide

Movement in the field:

⚙️Data’s New Crib, Powerhouse 95 Breaks Ground: Construction is currently underway on the $1.6 billion Data Center in Spotsylvania County, located in Virginia. This facility will be home to three 300 MW substations, with the first expected to provide 150 MW by October 2025. It will include a maximum of eight three-story buildings, totalling 3.5 million square feet of data center space. Construction commenced in 2024, with phased deliveries anticipated between late 2025 and the end of 2027.

Key Details: Client: PowerHouse Data Centers, General Contractors: TBA, Architects: American Real Estate Partners (AREP), Award: Data Center, Value: $1.6 Billion, Location: Spotsylvania County, Virginia

🎉Texas Gets a $550M Playground, Universal Style: Universal began construction in November 2023 on the 97-acre Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas. The $550M development includes a 300-room hotel and a family-focused theme park covering 38 acres. Vertical construction is underway, the hotel’s third floor has risen, and the park is on track for opening in summer 2026.

Key Details: Owner/Developer: Universal Destinations & Experiences, General Contractor: Balfour Beatty US, Design Contractor: Gensler & Universal Creative, Sector: Theme Park & Hospitality, Value: $550 Million, Location: Frisco, Texas

🏠$2.5B Later, Silicon Gets a New Home in NC: Wolfspeed announced that phase one of the Silicon Carbide manufacturing facility was completed back in 2024 and cost approximately $1.3 billion for 1st phase. This project will span over 2 million sq ft on a 445-acre site and will be the world's largest materials facility. John Palmour's new manufacturing center will significantly increase Wolfspeed materials capacity, with a focus on 200mm wafers, which are 1.7x larger than 150mm wafers. The new workspace will provide more than 1,800 new jobs as well as completion set in 2030.

Key Details: Client: Wolfspeed, General Contractors: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Award: Manufacturing Facility, Value: $2.5 Billion, Location: Siler City, North Carolina

MEET LEWIS MICHAEL CONSULTANTS

Lewis Michael Consultants is a specialist recruitment firm focused solely on the U.S construction industry, operating from East to West Coast. 

Recent placements include General Superintendents, MEP Project Managers, and Electrical Project Managers, working on renowned projects with Google, Samsung & Tesla.

Whether it's a large-scale infrastructure project or a small development, Lewis Michael Consultants has the network to support recruitment needs across the spectrum.

WORLD
Senna Tower, Brazil

FG Empreendimentos, in partnership with the Senna family, is developing Senna Tower in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil. The building, designed by Lalalli Senna, will be a tribute to Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna.

The tower will reach a height of approximately 544 meters (1,785 feet), surpassing New York’s Central Park Tower to become the tallest residential building in the world. It will consist of 154 floors and house 228 residences, including 204 standard units, 18 “suspended mansions,” 24 duplex and triplex units, and two triplex penthouses measuring nearly 9,700 square feet each.

With an estimated cost of $545 million (BRL 3 billion), the project is expected to begin construction in late 2025 and completed between 2030 and 2033. The smallest units are priced around $5 million, with triplex penthouses ranging from $27 million to $53 million.

Key Details: General Contractors: FG Empreendimentos, Client: FG Empreendimentos & Senna Family, Award: Residential Skyscraper, Value: $545 Million, Location: Balneário Camboriú, Brazil

TECH SPOTLIGHT
Nvidia CEO Says Robots Will Lead This Decade

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang recently said that “this is going to be the decade of AV [autonomous vehicles], robotics, autonomous machines.”

Nvidia’s car tech division earned $329 million last quarter. That’s 11% more than the same time last year. The company is working hard on tools to power the future of driving and robotics.

One new product is Nvidia Drive, a full system that helps car makers build self-driving vehicles. Another is Cosmos Predict-2, a smart AI trained on 20,000 hours of driving. It helps cars see and drive better in bad weather like fog or rain.

This technology will also change how buildings and roads are made. Robots powered by AI could handle jobs like digging, moving heavy items, or checking safety on job sites. Self-driving machines may soon work on construction sites to make work faster, safer, and cheaper.

QUICK FIRE ROUND
Your quiz questions for this week:

A “jamb” in door or window framing is:

A. The horizontal top piece // B. The vertical sides of the opening // C. The glass pane

“Load-bearing capacity” of soil is determined by:

A. Soil tests and geotechnical analysis // B. Aesthetic preferences // C. Random selection

What’s the standard spacing for residential wall studs?

A. 12 inches // B. 16 inches // C. 24 inches

What is the purpose of a P-trap in plumbing?

A. Speed up water flow // B. Prevent sewer gases from entering a building // C. Increase water pressure

What is used to prevent water hammer in plumbing?

A. Water meter // B. Expansion tank // C. Air chamber or arrestor

Check out the answers at the bottom.

WEEKLY FUNNY
Mmmmmmmmm

REFLECTION
This week’s question to ask yourself✌️

How do I handle stress at work?

ANSWERS

Q1 B. The vertical sides of the opening // Q2 A. Soil tests and geotechnical analysis // Q3 B. 16 inches // Q4 B. Prevent sewer gases from entering a building // Q5 C. Air chamber or arrestor

How many did you get?