Manufacturing News
April 17, 2026
April 17, 2026 · Statewide · Story 3 of 3
Former Governor Holcomb: Power Supply and Skilled Workers Still Determine Who Wins
Former Governor Eric Holcomb published a piece in Time magazine in January 2026 arguing that AI will drive an American manufacturing renaissance. The two variables he says determine whether Indiana captures or misses that opportunity: the supply of skilled workers and electrical power, in that order. His framework cites a Deloitte projection of 3.8 million net new US manufacturing jobs by 2033 driven by AI, with data centers and associated information processing already accounting for 92% of US economic growth in the first half of 2025, per Harvard economist Jason Furman.
His workforce position: AI and digital skills training needs to begin at the secondary school level, with community colleges and vocational-technical schools as the backbone. His concern on power: whether Indiana's energy infrastructure investment keeps pace with the industrial load growth AI-driven manufacturing will place on the grid.
Watch for: state and federal workforce policy developments that create or close skill pipelines for Indiana manufacturers, and whether the state's energy infrastructure investment tracks the load growth that's coming.
For your morning huddle
- Q
What are the two variables former Governor Holcomb says will determine whether Indiana captures AI-driven manufacturing growth?
Skilled workers and electrical power, in that order. Holcomb's argument is that future factories will be more specialized, not necessarily smaller in total employment, and the operators who build the workforce and power infrastructure to support that shift are the ones who will still be growing in 2033.
From the brief, April 17, 2026
- Indiana Explores Small Modular Reactors for Industrial Base Load at the LEAP District
- Incog BioPharma's $200M Fishers Expansion Will Pull Nearly 1,000 Workers from Central Indiana's Labor Market by 2030
- Former Governor Holcomb: Power Supply and Skilled Workers Still Determine Who Wins
TEG Daily, before your morning huddle
A short Indiana energy and manufacturing scan, delivered before the workday starts.
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