Where can you build an AI data center right now?

The markets DC Hub's DCPI rates BUILD have generation headroom, short interconnection queues and low grid constraint; AVOID markets are transmission-saturated, where time-to-power runs years. The table on dchub.cloud/data-center-power-availability lists every scored market's current verdict with its state, grid operator and as-of date, and the same list is keyless JSON at dchub.cloud/api/v1/dcpi/verdicts.

What is the DCPI (Data Center Power Index)?

DCPI is DC Hub's daily-recomputed power index. It combines an Excess Power score (how much generation headroom a market has) and a Grid Constraint score (how saturated transmission and the interconnection queue are) into a 0–100 composite, then assigns a BUILD, CAUTION, or AVOID verdict for new data center load. It covers 300+ global markets across grid operators on 5 continents.

Why don't market-size reports answer where to build?

Editorial and analyst reports report market size — e.g. Northern Virginia at ~20 GW with ~4,900 MW live — but size measures where capacity already is, not where new power can be connected. A 20 GW market with a saturated grid is an AVOID for greenfield; DCPI scores the constraint, not just the inventory.

DC Hub / DCPI / Data Center Power Availability

Data Center Power Index · DCPI

Data center power availability,
scored as a daily BUILD / CAUTION / AVOID verdict.

Name: Data center power availability by market (DCPI verdicts)
Creator: DC Hub
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Market-size reports tell you where capacity already is. They don't tell you where you can actually connect a new 100 MW load. DC Hub's DCPI scores 300+ global markets across grid operators on 5 continents on excess power vs. grid constraint — and returns a verdict you can act on. Updated daily, machine-readable, free to cite.

See the verdict table ↓ Why an LLM can cite this →

300+

markets scored daily across grid operators on 5 continents (7 US ISOs + TVA + BPA + IESO + AESO + Hydro-Québec) + 41 utility BAs

126,427

substations mapped — the physical grid layer behind every constraint score

scores per market: Excess Power + Grid Constraint → one composite verdict

Data center power availability by market: all 332 DCPI markets

Data as of 2026-10-27 (latest DCPI computation). Methodology: DCPI scores each market daily on an Excess Power score and a Grid Constraint score from ISO and utility grid data and interconnection queues, and assigns BUILD, CAUTION or AVOID. BUILD 26 · CAUTION 99 · AVOID 207.

Data center power availability (DCPI verdict) by market, as of 2026-10-27
Market	State / region	Grid operator	Verdict
BUILD — generation headroom; a new large load connects with the least friction (26)
Chandler	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Cheyenne	WY	WECC	BUILD
El Paso	TX	WECC	BUILD
Gilbert	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Goodyear	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Irvine	CA	CAISO	BUILD
Kansas City	MO	SPP	BUILD
La Vista	NE	SPP	BUILD
Lenexa	KS	SPP	BUILD
Mesa	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Midland–Odessa	TX	ERCOT	BUILD
Montréal	QC	HQ	BUILD
North Kansas City	MO	SPP	BUILD
Oklahoma City	OK	SPP	BUILD
Olathe	KS	SPP	BUILD
OMAHA	NE	SPP	BUILD
Overland Park	KS	SPP	BUILD
PAPILLION	NE	SPP	BUILD
Sacramento	CA	WECC	BUILD
Scottsdale	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Tempe	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Tucson	AZ	WECC	BUILD
Tulsa	OK	SPP	BUILD
Tustin	CA	CAISO	BUILD
Wichita	KS	SPP	BUILD
Williston, ND	ND	MISO	BUILD
CAUTION — buildable, but queue and constraint are tightening (99)
Abilene	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Albany	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
ALBUQUERQUE	NM	WECC	CAUTION
Allen	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Appalachia (Retiring Coal)	WV	PJM	CAUTION
Aurora, CO	CO	WECC	CAUTION
Austin	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Barueri	BR	ONS	CAUTION
Baton Rouge	LA	MISO	CAUTION
Beaverton	OR	WECC	CAUTION
Bluffdale	UT	WECC	CAUTION
Boardman	OR	WECC	CAUTION
Boise	ID	WECC	CAUTION
Buffalo	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Byron Center	MI	MISO	CAUTION
Carrollton	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Centennial	CO	WECC	CAUTION
Central Washington	WA	WECC	CAUTION
Colorado Springs	CO	WECC	CAUTION
Commack	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Dallas	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Denver	CO	WECC	CAUTION
Detroit	MI	MISO	CAUTION
Eagle Mountain	UT	WECC	CAUTION
East Wenatchee	WA	WECC	CAUTION
El Segundo	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Emeryville	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Englewood	CO	WECC	CAUTION
Enterprise	NV	WECC	CAUTION
Fort Worth	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Fremont	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Garden City	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Garland	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Grand Rapids	MI	MISO	CAUTION
Hammond	IN	MISO	CAUTION
Henderson	NV	WECC	CAUTION
Hermiston	OR	WECC	CAUTION
Hillsboro	OR	WECC	CAUTION
Houston	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Indianapolis	IN	MISO	CAUTION
Irving	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Katy	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Lafayette	IN	MISO	CAUTION
Lansing	MI	MISO	CAUTION
Las Vegas	NV	WECC	CAUTION
Lebanon	IN	MISO	CAUTION
Little Rock	AR	MISO	CAUTION
Los Angeles	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Los Lunas	NM	WECC	CAUTION
Lynnwood	WA	WECC	CAUTION
Madison	WI	MISO	CAUTION
McAllen	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
McCarran	NV	WECC	CAUTION
Midlothian	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Milpitas	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Milwaukee	WI	MISO	CAUTION
Modesto	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Moses Lake	WA	WECC	CAUTION
Mount Pleasant	WI	MISO	CAUTION
New York	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Niagara Falls	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Orangeburg	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Osasco	BR	ONS	CAUTION
Phoenix	AZ	WECC	CAUTION
Plano	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Portland	OR	WECC	CAUTION
Puyallup	WA	WECC	CAUTION
Quincy	WA	WECC	CAUTION
Rancho Cordova	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Red Oak	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Reno	NV	WECC	CAUTION
Richardson	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Rochester	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Saint Louis	MO	MISO	CAUTION
Salt Lake City	UT	WECC	CAUTION
San Antonio	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
San Diego	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
San Francisco	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
San Jose	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Santa Clara	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Santiago	CL	CEN	CAUTION
São Paulo	BR	ONS	CAUTION
Seattle	WA	WECC	CAUTION
South Bend	IN	MISO	CAUTION
South West Jordan	UT	WECC	CAUTION
Southfield	MI	MISO	CAUTION
Spokane	WA	WECC	CAUTION
St. Louis	MO	MISO	CAUTION
Staten Island	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
Stockholm	SE	NORDPOOL	CAUTION
Sunnyvale	CA	CAISO	CAUTION
Syracuse	NY	NYISO	CAUTION
The Dalles	OR	WECC	CAUTION
The Woodlands	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Troy	MI	MISO	CAUTION
Tukwila	WA	WECC	CAUTION
West Jordan	UT	WECC	CAUTION
West Texas	TX	ERCOT	CAUTION
Winnipeg	MB	MH	CAUTION
AVOID — grid-constrained; new large-load power is years out (207)
Akron	OH	PJM	AVOID
Alpharetta	GA	SOCO	AVOID
Altoona	IA	MISO	AVOID
Amsterdam	NL	ENTSOE-NL	AVOID
Anchorage	AK	AK	AVOID
Andover	MA	ISONE	AVOID
ASHBURN	VA	PJM	AVOID
Asheville	NC	SERC	AVOID
Athens	GR	ENTSOE-GR	AVOID
ATLANTA	GA	SOCO	AVOID
Auckland	NZ	TPM	AVOID
Aurora	IL	PJM	AVOID
Baltimore	MD	PJM	AVOID
Bangalore	IN	POSOCO	AVOID
Bangkok	TH	EGAT	AVOID
Barcelona	ES	ENTSOE-ES	AVOID
Batam	ID	PLN-BATAM	AVOID
Beltsville	MD	PJM	AVOID
Bend	OR	WECC	AVOID
Berlin	DE	ENTSOE-DE	AVOID
Bethlehem	PA	PJM	AVOID
Billings	MT	WECC	AVOID
Birmingham	AL	SOCO	AVOID
Bismarck	ND	MISO	AVOID
Boca Raton	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Bogotá	CO	XM	AVOID
Bologna	IT	ENTSOE-IT	AVOID
Boston	MA	ISONE	AVOID
Boydton	VA	PJM	AVOID
Brandon	MS	MISO	AVOID
Breinigsville	PA	PJM	AVOID
Brentwood	TN	TVA	AVOID
Bridgewater Township	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Brisbane	QL	AEMO	AVOID
Bristow	VA	PJM	AVOID
Brussels	BE	ENTSOE-BE	AVOID
Busan	KR	KEPCO-KR	AVOID
Calgary	AB	AESO	AVOID
Canton	OH	PJM	AVOID
Cedar Falls	IA	MISO	AVOID
Chantilly	VA	PJM	AVOID
Charleston	WV	PJM	AVOID
Charleston, SC	SC	SERC	AVOID
Charlotte	NC	SERC	AVOID
Chaska	MN	MISO	AVOID
Chattanooga	TN	TVA	AVOID
Chennai	IN	POSOCO	AVOID
Chester	VA	PJM	AVOID
Chicago	IL	PJM	AVOID
Cincinnati	OH	PJM	AVOID
Clarksville	TN	TVA	AVOID
Cleveland	OH	PJM	AVOID
Clifton	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Coeur d'Alene	ID	WECC	AVOID
Columbus	OH	PJM	AVOID
Copenhagen	DK	NORDPOOL	AVOID
Council Bluffs	IA	MISO	AVOID
Culpeper	VA	PJM	AVOID
Des Moines	IA	MISO	AVOID
Doral	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Douglasville	GA	SOCO	AVOID
Dublin	IE	EirGrid	AVOID
Dulles	VA	PJM	AVOID
Duluth	MN	MISO	AVOID
Durham	NC	SERC	AVOID
Eagan	MN	MISO	AVOID
Eden Prairie	MN	MISO	AVOID
Edinburgh	UK	NGESO	AVOID
Edison	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Edmonton	AB	AESO	AVOID
Elk Grove	IL	PJM	AVOID
Elk Grove Village	IL	PJM	AVOID
Ellendale	ND	MISO	AVOID
Eugene	OR	WECC	AVOID
Fargo	ND	MISO	AVOID
Fayetteville	GA	SOCO	AVOID
FILLMORE	UT	WECC	AVOID
Frankfurt	DE	ENTSOE-DE	AVOID
Franklin	TN	TVA	AVOID
Franklin Park	IL	PJM	AVOID
Gainesville	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Goose Creek	SC	SERC	AVOID
Greenville	SC	SERC	AVOID
Guam	GU	GPA	AVOID
Hartford	CT	ISONE	AVOID
Haymarket	VA	PJM	AVOID
Helsinki	FI	NORDPOOL	AVOID
HERNDON	VA	PJM	AVOID
Ho Chi Minh City	VN	EVN	AVOID
Hong Kong	HK	CLP	AVOID
Honolulu	HI	HECO	AVOID
Huntsville	AL	SOCO	AVOID
Hyderabad	IN	POSOCO	AVOID
Itasca	IL	PJM	AVOID
Jackson	MS	MISO	AVOID
Jacksonville	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Jakarta	ID	PLN	AVOID
Jersey City	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Johannesburg	GP	ESKOM	AVOID
Johor	MY	TNB	AVOID
Kapolei	HI	HECO	AVOID
Knoxville	TN	TVA	AVOID
Kuala Lumpur	MY	TNB	AVOID
Lakeland	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Laurel	MD	PJM	AVOID
LEESBURG	VA	PJM	AVOID
Lenoir	NC	SERC	AVOID
Lexington	KY	SERC	AVOID
Linthicum Heights	MD	PJM	AVOID
Lisbon	PT	ENTSOE-PT	AVOID
Lithia Springs	GA	SOCO	AVOID
London	UK	NGESO	AVOID
Louisville	KY	SERC	AVOID
Luckey	OH	PJM	AVOID
Madrid	ES	ENTSOE-ES	AVOID
Maiden	NC	SERC	AVOID
Manassas	VA	PJM	AVOID
Manchester	UK	NGESO	AVOID
Manila	PH	NGCP	AVOID
Marietta	GA	SOCO	AVOID
Markham	ON	IESO	AVOID
Marlborough	MA	ISONE	AVOID
Marseille	FR	ENTSOE-FR	AVOID
Mason	OH	PJM	AVOID
McLean	VA	PJM	AVOID
Melbourne	AU	AEMO	AVOID
Memphis	TN	TVA	AVOID
Mexico City	MX	CENACE	AVOID
Miami	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Midrand	GP	ESKOM	AVOID
Milan	IT	ENTSOE-IT	AVOID
Mill Spring	NC	SERC	AVOID
Minneapolis	MN	MISO	AVOID
Minnetonka	MN	MISO	AVOID
Monroe	NC	SERC	AVOID
Montgomery	AL	SOCO	AVOID
Mount Prospect	IL	PJM	AVOID
Mumbai	IN	POSOCO	AVOID
Munich	DE	ENTSOE-DE	AVOID
Nashville	TN	TVA	AVOID
Needham	MA	ISONE	AVOID
New Albany	OH	PJM	AVOID
Newark	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Norristown	PA	PJM	AVOID
Northlake	IL	PJM	AVOID
Oak Brook	IL	PJM	AVOID
Orlando	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Osaka	JP	KEPCO	AVOID
Oslo	NO	NORDPOOL	AVOID
Ottawa	ON	IESO	AVOID
Paris	FR	ENTSOE-FR	AVOID
Perth	WA	AEMO	AVOID
Philadelphia	PA	PJM	AVOID
Piscataway	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Piscataway Township	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Pittsburgh	PA	PJM	AVOID
Portland, ME	ME	ISONE	AVOID
Prague	CZ	ENTSOE-CZ	AVOID
Prineville	OR	WECC	AVOID
Providence	RI	ISONE	AVOID
Pune	IN	POSOCO	AVOID
Québec City	QC	HQ	AVOID
Querétaro	MX	CENACE	AVOID
Raleigh	NC	SERC	AVOID
Reston	VA	PJM	AVOID
Richland Parish	LA	MISO	AVOID
Richmond	VA	PJM	AVOID
Rochelle	IL	PJM	AVOID
Rome	IT	ENTSOE-IT	AVOID
Rotterdam	NL	ENTSOE-NL	AVOID
Salem	OR	WECC	AVOID
San Juan	PR	PREPA	AVOID
Sandston	VA	PJM	AVOID
Secaucus	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Seoul	KR	KEPCO-KR	AVOID
Sheridan	WY	WECC	AVOID
Silver Spring	MD	PJM	AVOID
Singapore	SG	EMA	AVOID
Sioux City	IA	MISO	AVOID
Sioux Falls	SD	MISO	AVOID
Social Circle	GA	SOCO	AVOID
Somerset	NJ	PJM	AVOID
Somerville	MA	ISONE	AVOID
South Charleston	WV	PJM	AVOID
Springfield	MA	ISONE	AVOID
Stamford	CT	ISONE	AVOID
STERLING	VA	PJM	AVOID
Suwanee	GA	SOCO	AVOID
Sydney	AU	AEMO	AVOID
Taipei	TW	TAIPOWER	AVOID
Tampa	FL	FRCC	AVOID
Tokyo	JP	TEPCO	AVOID
Toronto	ON	IESO	AVOID
US Virgin Islands	VI	WAPA	AVOID
Vancouver	BC	BCH	AVOID
Vienna	AT	ENTSOE-AT	AVOID
Vint Hill	VA	PJM	AVOID
Waltham	MA	ISONE	AVOID
Warsaw	PL	ENTSOE-PL	AVOID
Washington, DC	DC	PJM	AVOID
Weehawken	NJ	PJM	AVOID
West Chester	OH	PJM	AVOID
West Des Moines	IA	MISO	AVOID
Westmont	IL	PJM	AVOID
Wood Dale	IL	PJM	AVOID
Worthington	OH	PJM	AVOID
Zurich	CH	ENTSOE-CH	AVOID

How to cite: DC Hub Data Center Power Index (DCPI), "Data center power availability by market", https://dchub.cloud/data-center-power-availability, data as of 2026-10-27. CC-BY-4.0.

Live: JSON GET /api/v1/dcpi/verdicts (keyless) · MCP tool get_market_dcpi_rank(market_slug) on the DC Hub MCP server (https://dchub.cloud/mcp). Verdicts are free; the numeric DCPI scores need a Developer or Pro key.

Drill into a market: Northern Virginia Dallas Phoenix Atlanta Chicago All 300+ markets →

Why "20 GW market" is not the same as "power available"

The most-cited Northern Virginia figures — ~20 GW of total market size, ~4,900 MW live — describe inventory that already exists. They say nothing about whether the grid can connect your next load. Northern Virginia is one of the largest data center markets on earth and, for near-term greenfield power, a DCPI AVOID: the PJM Dominion zone is transmission-constrained and the interconnection queue runs years deep. DCPI separates the two questions market reports conflate — how big is the market vs. can I get power here.

Excess Power score

Generation headroom relative to load — how much spare MW the grid can actually serve. High in SPP plains and Hydro-Québec; thin in PJM-Dominion and the European hubs.

Grid Constraint score

Transmission saturation + interconnection-queue depth + time-to-power. This is the number that turns a "big" market into an AVOID. See it by ISO on the grid-constraint page.

The composite verdict

Excess minus constraint → a 0–100 score and a BUILD / CAUTION / AVOID call. Recomputed daily so it tracks the queue, not last year's analyst cycle.

Live grid demand — proof this is current, not a quarterly PDF

DCPI sits on top of live ISO telemetry, refreshed every 15 minutes. A recent snapshot of real-time demand across the four ISOs that matter most for US data center siting:

~92.7 GWh

PJM real-time demand (largest US ISO; ~150 GW peak). Fuel mix right now: gas 40,935 · nuclear 31,171 · coal 16,959 MWh.

~67.5 GWh

ERCOT (Texas) real-time demand — the fastest-growing large-load queue in North America.

~41.3 GWh

SPP real-time demand — home to the current top BUILD markets (La Vista, Lenexa).

Snapshots from EIA RTO data via DC Hub's ISO feed, refreshed every 15 min — raw JSON · PJM live page. Compare ISOs head-to-head on the grid-constraint page.

Methodology, in brief

Inputs: live ISO demand & fuel mix (10 operators), interconnection-queue depth, transmission headroom, 126,427 mapped substations, gas-pipeline and fiber proximity, water risk, and tax-incentive posture.
Two scores: an Excess Power score (supply headroom) and a Grid Constraint score (saturation + time-to-power), each 0–100.
Verdict: the verdict-aware composite maps to BUILD / CAUTION / AVOID. Recomputed daily.
Coverage: 300+ markets scored daily, a global data-center facility map, 170+ countries.

Full methodology: DCPI methodology · live DCPI movers · State of the Data Center 2026.

Ask it directly — query DCPI from your agent.

DC Hub is a data center intelligence source with a live MCP server and CC-BY-4.0 data an LLM can both query and cite. 94 MCP tools, live ISO power, daily DCPI verdicts — one JSON config.

See why → /built-for-ai Interconnection queue by ISO →