TheJobWalk E.53

Welcome to this week’s edition of TheJobWalk! Amazon Web Services powers up Indiana with a $15B investment, while AVAIO Digital Partners rolls out a $6B data center in Mississippi. In Nashville, Turner and AECOM Hunt top out the new $2.1B stadium, and Amazon doubles down with a $50B commitment to the U.S government. Meanwhile, the construction robots market is projected to surge to $660B, Happy Thanksgiving Crew, from the team at TJW, we hope you have a blessed day! Let’s dive in!

NEWS
Amazon Web Services Invests $15 Billion in Indiana

Amazon Web Services is planning a major data center development in Northern Indiana, supporting its growing AI and cloud computing infrastructure demands.

The expansion will introduce up to 2.4 gigawatts (GW) of data center capacity, making it one of the largest such investments in the region. A new energy agreement with NIPSCO ensures that Amazon will fund necessary power infrastructure, preventing rate increases for local residents and businesses.

This $15 billion project is expected to create approximately 1,100 new high-skilled jobs and support thousands more in construction and related services.

TheJobWalk’s got eyes on this too...

📰 Amazon to Invest $3 billion in Mississippi(AWS)
📰 GE Aerospace to Expand in North Carolina(NCGov)
📰 Skanska Releases Operations Report(Skanska)
📰 Construction Robots Market to Reach $660B(GlobalNewsWire)

PROJECTS
Build of The Week

AVAIO Digital Partners $6 Billion Data Center in Mississippi

Site work on the $6B Taurus Data Center Hub in Rankin County, Mississippi, is underway after breaking ground back in September.

Phase 1 of the 175-acre campus will hold two purpose-built data center buildings, totalling 600,000 sq ft with 116 MW of IT power capacity.

The first phase of this project is expected to create At least 60 direct high-tech operations jobs, along with Several hundred construction jobs, with the aim of completion in 2027.

• Client: AVAIO Digital Partners

• General Contractors: Yates Construction

• Utility Contractor: Entergy

• Award: Data Center Value: $6 Billion

• Location: Rankin County, Mississippi

Movement in the field:

🚔Bars, Beds, and Beams, Gilbane Tops out: This week Gilbane topped out on the 250,000 sqft jail in Painesville, Ohio. The new center will include over 500 beds, increasing from the previous capacity of 355 (or lower) beds along with medical care wings (exam rooms, pharmacy), mental-health and addiction treatment areas. The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs for the local economy and is set to be complete in 2027.

Key Details: Client: Lake County, General Contractors: Gilbane, Award: Government, Value: $250M, Location: Painsville, Ohio

🏈Touchdown! $2.1B NFL Stadium Gets a Roof: Last week Turner and AECOM Hunt topped out on the new $2.1B Stadium in Nashville. The project has already surpassed 3.6 million hours of labor, delivered by a daily onsite workforce of approximately 1,800 workers. Construction is well underway with a completion date of mid-2027.

Key Details: Client: Tennessee Titans, General Contractors: Turner / AECOM Hunt, Award: Stadium, Value: $2.1B, Location: Nashville, Tennessee

⚙️Shingle All the Way! Owens Corning Picks Alabama for New Plant: Owens Corning Shingle Manufacturing Facility in AL: Currently in the preconstruction phase, Owens Corning are gearing up to build their new 250,000 sqft plant in Autauga County, AL. The facility will house a four-wide laminator, which will allow higher throughput and will be designed to produce 6 million squares of laminate shingles per year. The project is expected to create 100 skilled manufacturing jobs with construction expected to begin early 2026, with production in 2027.

Key Details: Client: Owens Corning, General Contractors: TBD, Award: Manufacturing, Value: Undisclosed, Location: Prattville, Alabama

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TECH SPOTLIGHT
Amazon Invests $50 Billion for US Government AI Infrastructure

AWS plans to invest up to $50 billion to develop the first purpose-built AI and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure for U.S. federal agencies.

The project will deliver nearly 1.3 gigawatts of new compute capacity across AWS's secure cloud regions: Top Secret, Secret, and GovCloud (US). Construction is expected to begin in 2026.

The infrastructure will support a broad range of government functions, including national security, cybersecurity, scientific research, energy, and healthcare. Agencies will gain access to AWS’s full AI suite, including SageMaker, Bedrock, Nova, and models powered by AWS Trainium and NVIDIA hardware.

The investment aims to accelerate government workloads from weeks to hours, modernising data processing and AI deployment at scale. 

QUICK FIRE ROUND
Your quiz questions for this week:

What is the typical thickness range for a concrete slab-on-grade in commercial construction?

A. 2 to 4 inches // B. 4 to 6 inches // C. 8 to 10 inches

Which of the following best describes the function of a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) in HVAC systems?

A. Controls air temperature by adjusting refrigerant flow // B. Regulates motor speed to match system demand // C. Prevents short cycling in compressors

Which electrical system component is designed to trip during a ground fault?

A. Circuit breaker // B. Grounding electrode // C. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)

In building design, what is the primary role of a thermal bridge?

A. To increase structural rigidity // B. To allow airflow across the envelope // C. To conduct heat through insulation, reducing efficiency

What does a “lag bolt” typically fasten?

A. Wood to wood connections // B. Steel to concrete // C. Drywall to framing

Check out the answers at the bottom.

WEEKLY FUNNY
whys it never easy..

REFLECTION
This week’s question to ask yourself✌️

Who are you when no one is watching?

ANSWERS

Q1 B. 4 to 6 inches // Q2 B. Regulates motor speed to match system demand // Q3 C. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) // Q4 C. To conduct heat through insulation, reducing efficiency // Q5 A. Wood to wood connections

How many did you get?