Methodology
AI demand is everywhere. Buildable capacity is constrained. Gridlocked is not ranking generic “best AI markets” — it measures where AI infrastructure demand is most likely to convert into buildable capacity, and which public companies sit closest to that constraint stack.
Gridlocked focuses on whether AI infrastructure demand can become real estate absorption. A market may have strong demand, but data centers still need power access, land control, fiber depth, water strategy, utility timing, permitting support, and a credible path to energization.
Two-Layer Framework
Layer one · Physical
Directional scores for power, fiber, land, water, permitting and policy, demand momentum, and saturation across U.S. data center markets. Used to screen where development capacity may be more or less buildable — not to crown winners.
Open Market Map →Layer two · Public markets
Tracks public companies that benefit from, depend on, or are constrained by the same bottlenecks. Combines live market data, sourced company research, and directional Gridlocked exposure and risk scores.
View Public Exposure →Market Scoring Framework
Scores are directional, not final truth. They organize the diligence questions investors need to ask before demand becomes development.
What it means
Available megawatts, substation capacity, generation access, and credible utility delivery timelines.
Why it matters
Without energization, land and demand do not become absorbable data center capacity.
How to interpret
High scores suggest a clearer path to usable power. Low scores flag scarcity, queue delays, or delivery uncertainty.
What it means
Carrier presence, long-haul connectivity, cloud adjacency, and existing digital infrastructure corridors.
Why it matters
AI campuses need connectivity into cloud, enterprise, and interconnection ecosystems.
How to interpret
High scores imply stronger digital infrastructure relevance. Low scores suggest a more speculative location.
What it means
Large, developable sites that align with zoning, power, fiber, and infrastructure commitments.
Why it matters
Acreage only matters when it can be converted into powered, permitted, connected capacity.
How to interpret
High scores indicate deeper site optionality. Low scores reflect land scarcity, zoning friction, or weak infrastructure fit.
What it means
Cooling strategy, water availability, drought sensitivity, environmental optics, and local resource pressure.
Why it matters
High-growth markets can screen well until water, cooling, and public perception enter the model.
How to interpret
High scores suggest lower water/cooling friction. Low scores flag markets where resource strategy needs deeper diligence.
What it means
Business climate, incentives, local politics, permitting speed, community acceptance, and regulatory friction.
Why it matters
Permitting and politics can change the practical capacity of a market even when demand and land are strong.
How to interpret
High scores indicate a supportive development environment. Low scores suggest approval risk or local resistance.
What it means
Hyperscale activity, enterprise/cloud demand, leasing momentum, ecosystem depth, and AI infrastructure relevance.
Why it matters
Demand determines where capital wants to go, but it is only one side of the underwriting equation.
How to interpret
High scores show strong market pull. Low scores suggest weaker demand formation or a less proven data center ecosystem.
What it means
The degree to which market depth, power scarcity, land pressure, or local constraints may limit incremental growth.
Why it matters
The deepest markets can also become the most constrained, especially when utility capacity and site availability tighten.
How to interpret
Higher risk means more friction. Lower risk suggests more room for incremental absorption, subject to other inputs.
Public-Market Exposure Framework
On Gridlocked, exposure means a company touches the constraint. That relationship can be positive, negative, mixed, regulated, or indirect.
Beneficiary
Sells equipment, services, construction, power systems, or infrastructure needed to solve the bottleneck.
Constrained Operator
Has demand tailwinds, but growth still depends on power, land, permits, utility timing, or site readiness.
Regulated Exposure
May benefit from load growth, but outcomes depend on regulation, rate recovery, capital approval, and execution.
Second-Order Exposure
Touches the buildout through materials, water systems, fiber, engineering, site services, or adjacent infrastructure demand.
Mixed
Has several kinds of exposure where the bottleneck can create both upside and execution risk.
Company Score Definitions
Exposure Score
Directional read-through to the AI infrastructure bottleneck stack — how much the constraint thesis matters to this company.
Risk Score
Directional risk and constraint intensity: execution, regulatory, market, and concentration pressure around the exposure.
Directness
How directly the company touches the bottleneck, versus second-order or indirect exposure.
Real Estate Read-Through
Relevance to physical development — site control, utility delivery, construction, and infrastructure buildout.
Geographic Specificity
How tied the company is to specific constrained markets rather than diffuse national demand.
How to read Gridlocked scores
Data Truth Levels
Every number on Gridlocked falls into one of three tiers. The product labels each tier on the page where it appears, and nothing here should be treated as verified investment data.
Provider market data when live quotes are enabled, with on-page status labels.
Written company research with a clickable source trail in each deep dive.
Gridlocked's own screening scores. Not third-party market data.
Where the market data comes from
Current quotes use Finnhub when live data is enabled. Historical returns and sparklines currently use Yahoo Finance's unofficial chart data — acceptable for prototype display, to be replaced with a licensed, source-approved provider before a serious commercial launch. Live provider calls can be paused, and both routes fall back to local data when paused or unavailable; the on-page data-status labels reflect whichever state is active.
Future Data Roadmap
01
Market power data
02
Water and drought indicators
03
Company filings
04
Licensed historical market data provider
05
Source notes by market
06
Methodology updates
Framework in Action
Gridlocked is a research and screening tool, not investment advice.