Siemens is investing more than $165 million across the Carolinas to build the electrical hardware behind AI — and most of the new North Carolina jobs land in Wake County.
Most coverage of the AI boom focuses on software and chips. But every data center also needs physical electrical hardware — switchgear, power-delivery systems, protection devices — and someone has to build it. This spring, Siemens said it would build more of it in Wake County, adding 350 jobs across new plants in Raleigh and Wendell. For real estate investors, the part worth watching is what durable payroll like this does to local housing demand.
The data: Siemens newsroom
The Announcement
Siemens Smart Infrastructure makes the low- and medium-voltage equipment that forms the electrical backbone of data centers. In March, the company announced more than $165 million in new and expanded Carolinas manufacturing, citing record data-center equipment orders. North Carolina drew two new plants and an expanded headquarters. Here’s what the announcement covers.
By the numbers:
- 350 new jobs in Wake County — 100 in Raleigh by the end of 2026, 50 at a new Wendell site, and 200+ at Siemens’ Wendell headquarters by 2028 [Siemens]
- More than $165 million invested across the Carolinas; a separate 150 manufacturing jobs are headed to Spartanburg County, SC
- Industry: advanced electrical-equipment manufacturing — switchgear, integrated power delivery, and medium-voltage protection and automation devices for AI data centers
- Facilities: a new 131,000 sq ft Raleigh plant and a new 101,000 sq ft Wendell site, both all-electric and carbon-neutral
- No state incentive package was announced — this is a company-funded capacity expansion, not an incentive-driven recruitment
Who’s involved:
- Siemens Smart Infrastructure U.S. — the Siemens division making the investment, which cited all-time-high customer demand from AI workloads [Siemens]
- The U.S. Department of Energy — framed the expansion around strengthening domestic grid and infrastructure capacity
- The Siemens Foundation — launched its “Careers Electric” electrical-training initiative in North Carolina with a $9.25 million investment
Where Raleigh and Wendell Fit in the Triangle
The Triangle is one of the country’s deepest benches for engineering and advanced-manufacturing talent, anchored by NC State, Wake Tech, and Research Triangle Park. Raleigh gives Siemens proximity to that talent base. Wendell is the more telling choice. A small town on the US-64/US-264 corridor east of Raleigh, it has been one of eastern Wake County’s fastest-growing communities — close enough to the metro to draw workers, affordable enough that households can still find a place to live. Putting 250 of the 350 jobs there signals confidence in a part of Wake that’s still building out.
What makes the location work:
- Talent shed: NC State, Wake Tech, and RTP supply the engineering and skilled-manufacturing workforce these plants need
- Location: Wendell sits on the US-64/264 corridor, a direct commuter spine east of downtown Raleigh
- Growth context: Wake County remains among the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., adding tens of thousands of residents a year [Census]
- Long-term footprint: carbon-neutral, all-electric facilities point to durable operations, not a short-term presence
- Workforce pipeline: the Siemens Foundation’s $9.25M “Careers Electric” launch funds local electrical-training pathways
Why We Watch Announcements Like This
We follow announcements like this because of what comes next:
- New jobs draw new workers
- New workers form new households — most rent first
- Households need housing within a reasonable commute
- Households need day-to-day services nearby: grocery, medical, fitness, restaurants, daycare
- Workforce housing demand rises; neighborhood-serving retail rises with it
- New development follows; new jobs follow that
Where the ripple lands:
- Wendell first — 250 of the new jobs, plus the existing headquarters workforce, concentrate demand in one fast-growing town
- The eastern-Wake commuter shed: Knightdale, Zebulon, Wake Forest, and Rolesville, all within a 30–45 minute drive
- The wider Raleigh–Cary metro, where each new advanced-manufacturing employer adds to an already tight housing market
- NC’s broader data-center build-out, which keeps pulling infrastructure suppliers like Siemens deeper into the state
For patient capital, the signal isn’t one company — it’s the structural strength of a region that keeps attracting durable, high-skill payroll. That’s the kind of demand workforce housing is built on.
Eddie Coleman, CCIM, is the Principal Investment Officer at NC Capital Group. With over 40 years of experience in Commercial Real Estate in North Carolina and South Carolina, his experience spans multifamily, retail, office, historic adaptation, etc. In addition to advising clients and brokering transactions, he has extensive knowledge of North Carolina through experience in corporate site acquisition, development, capitalization, HUD financing, etc. He holds the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.