Amongst the ever-growing buzz surrounding the Sabey Data Center proposed in Butte, a common source of excitement is the potential for new employment opportunities. However, the truth behind this data center job creation promise is underwhelming. Evidence shows that fewer jobs may be created than what officials claim, and it is not guaranteed that all new employment opportunities will go to local residents.
My interests in the data and tech boom led me to pursue a Master’s degree in the Ethics of AI, Data, and Algorithms at the University of Cambridge, and returning to Great Falls led me to further investigate how data centers will affect Montana’s environment and economy. After observing how the tech industry is driven to reduce workforce needs through data and automation, I reckon that tech CEOs are not the most trustworthy source regarding job claims.
That is why I am concerned by the fact that the Butte data center job projections all seem to circle back to a single source: Sabey Data Centers’ CEO. John Sabey spoke to the Montana Connections Targeted Economic Development District board on November 14. He said the Butte facility will resemble an existing Sabey data center in Quincy, Washington, and it will employ around 200 people and create 600 temporary construction jobs.
While I support the creation of hundreds of jobs, there is little evidence to suggest that these jobs would materialize. The Butte Ad Hoc Committee on Data Center Impacts had six weeks to investigate and address the community’s concerns surrounding the data center; it’s surprising to see that the only source on employment numbers provided in the Ad Hoc Committee’s final report is John Sabey, referenced on slide 25.
Perhaps the committee hit the same research roadblocks that I hit. I reached out to Sabey Data Centers multiple times to see if it would supply a redacted payroll or any other evidence of employment numbers to support its job claims and never received a response.
Sabey’s employment calculations are significantly inflated compared to independent analyses of data center job creation. Independent studies show that as few as 23,000 people worked across 4,000 data centers in 2024, averaging out to about 6 people per facility. Analyses of data center hotspots illustrate that some data centers have only created one permanent job for every $54 million invested — 168 times more than what it costs to create one permanent non-data center job ($322,000). Following this math, Sabey’s $1 billion investment would only result in 20 permanent jobs. An analysis published by the Hamm Institute for American Energy reveals that data centers that utilize over 100 megawatts (MW) can operate with as few as 20-30 permanent staff per 100 MW. Sabey’s job claims are over twice as high as what these reports project.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the 600 temporary construction jobs associated with the Butte data center will go to local businesses. Sabey has stated that they have met with local unions and they prioritize local hiring where possible, but it is worth noting that Sabey operates their own construction company. Even the Butte-Silver Bow Committee has considered that there exists the possibility that outside construction labor could be brought in, potentially putting strain on rental equipment markets, which would be to the detriment of local construction companies.
Sabey’s anecdotal accounts of how many jobs it will bring to Butte do not line up with the realities of existing data center job creation throughout the country. If Sabey is so adamant about its strong job creation, the company should be able to provide evidence of its employment, either through redacted employee payrolls or proof of employment numbers from an independent agency. What would benefit the Butte community the most would be contracts and formalized agreements that will ensure that jobs will come to Butte, Montana. Not words, not handshakes, and not inflated speculations.
Ayana Gray is a resident of Great Falls, MT. She has a Master’s degree in the Ethics of AI, Data, and Algorithms from the University of Cambridge and is working towards law school.