India's AI data-centre boom is creating an unexpected winner among engineering professionals. According to The Times of India, mechanical, electrical and industrial engineers are experiencing a resurgence in demand, with roles that were previously overshadowed by software jobs now commanding hefty salaries. This shift represents a significant change in the engineering landscape as companies race to build energy-intensive AI infrastructure.
The hiring surge spans multiple sectors of the AI infrastructure ecosystem. As reported by The Times of India, companies actively hiring include colocation players such as Equinix, STT GDC India, Yotta, CtrlS and NTT; hyperscalers including AWS, Google and Microsoft; and engineering and cooling majors such as L&T, Tata Projects, Schneider Electric, Vertiv, Siemens, Honeywell and Johnson Controls. This comprehensive approach reflects the diverse requirements of building and maintaining AI infrastructure across the industry.
The hiring surge is being driven by the rapid expansion of India's data-centre industry. According to Avendus Capital data reported by The Times of India, operational data-centre capacity is expected to rise from about 1.6GW in 2025 to 5GW by 2030. The expansion is substantial, with more than 3GW of capacity already under development, requiring nearly $25 billion in investments. Additionally, AI-specific capacity is expected to quadruple, indicating the growing importance of specialized AI infrastructure requirements.
Exclusive hiring data shared with The Times of India by executive search firm Ishwa Consulting reveals the emergence of specialized roles across AI data centres. According to the report, these include AI infrastructure architects, liquid cooling specialists, power procurement heads and grid resilience managers. The data-centre boom is increasingly becoming a physical infrastructure story, driven by substations, cooling plants and power systems as much as by code, creating new career paths for industrial talent.
The AI infrastructure boom is not limited to data centres but is expanding into manufacturing as well. US-listed Vertiv has officially opened a 236,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Senai, Johor, betting on continued demand for power and cooling infrastructure. The plant will manufacture, assemble and test advanced thermal management systems, modular power solutions and prefabricated infrastructure for customers across South-east Asia, North Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The facility is expected to employ up to 500 people when fully operational in 2027, demonstrating the growing manufacturing component of the AI infrastructure ecosystem.
