Where can you build an AI data center right now?

As of the latest DCPI recompute, the strongest BUILD markets are Montréal on Hydro-Québec (DCPI 65.2) and the SPP plains markets of La Vista, NE and Lenexa, KS (58.2 each) — short interconnection queues, abundant excess generation, and low grid constraint. The markets to avoid for near-term greenfield power are Dublin, OH (PJM, constraint 72.5), London (NGESO, 71.8) and Amsterdam (70.0), where transmission is saturated and time-to-power runs years.

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 100+ markets across grid operators on 4 continents.

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

Editorial and analyst reports (CBRE, DCD, Mordor, regional commissions) 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 / AVOID verdict.

Name: Data Center Power Availability by Market (DCPI)
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 100+ markets across grid operators on 4 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 →

100+

markets scored daily across grid operators on 4 continents (7 US ISOs + TVA + BPA + IESO) + 43 utility BAs

126,427

substations mapped — the physical grid layer behind every constraint score

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

Where to build right now — the DCPI verdict table

A higher composite means more excess power and less grid constraint. BUILD markets have generation headroom and short interconnection queues; AVOID markets are transmission-saturated, where a new large load waits years for power. Scores recompute daily — these reflect the latest DCPI run.

Market	Grid operator	Verdict	DCPI composite	Constraint
BUILD — connect a new large load with the least friction
Montréal, QC	Hydro-Québec	BUILD	65.2	low
La Vista, NE	SPP	BUILD	58.2	low
Lenexa, KS	SPP	BUILD	58.2	low
CAUTION — buildable, but the queue and constraint are tightening
Dallas, TX	ERCOT	CAUTION	—	rising
Atlanta, GA	SERC / Southern	CAUTION	—	rising
Phoenix, AZ	WECC / APS	CAUTION	—	rising
AVOID — transmission saturated; greenfield power is years out
Dublin, OH	PJM	AVOID	—	72.5
London	NGESO	AVOID	—	71.8
Amsterdam	TenneT	AVOID	—	70.0
Northern Virginia	PJM	AVOID	—	high

Source: DC Hub DCPI, recomputed daily (CC-BY-4.0). Constraint values shown where a discrete grid-constraint sub-score is published; "—" means the composite is the operative number. Query any market live via get_market_dcpi_rank(market_slug) on the MCP server.

Drill into a market: Northern Virginia Dallas Phoenix Atlanta Chicago All 233 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: 100+ scored markets, 233 markets tracked, 21,000+ facilities, 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 the only data center intelligence source an LLM can both query and cite. 28 MCP tools, live ISO power, daily DCPI verdicts — one JSON config.

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