A40%
Commercial colocation
Operational scale, committed growth, operator density and enterprise workload depth.
Transparent scoring framework · August 2026
How the market tiers are built
Every market is assessed on a fixed 0–5 scale across four independent axes and 16 metrics. Composite bands establish a provisional tier; operational scale gates then determine the final classification.
4 axes16 metrics0–5 scoring scalev8.5 model
Composite design
Four distinct views of market maturity
The composite is the weighted sum of the four axis scores. Each axis score is itself a weighted combination of four underlying metrics.
B30%
Hyperscale and self-build
Physical hyperscaler capacity, cloud-region depth, self-build breadth and committed investment.
C15%
AI market maturity
Live AI capacity, committed pipeline, demand diversity and power runway.
D15%
Connectivity and network gravity
Subsea reach, peering depth, facility density and route openness.
Composite0.40A + 0.30B + 0.15C + 0.15D
Classification rules
Composite bands and scale gates
A market first enters the composite band shown below. Tier 1 and Tier 2 also require minimum operational colocation scale and hyperscaler-presence scores. A missed gate moves the market to the highest tier it qualifies for.
3.5 to 5.0
Minimum composite: 3.5
- At least 240MW operational colocation
- B1 hyperscaler presence score of at least 3
2.5 to <3.5
Minimum composite: 2.5
- At least 50MW operational colocation
- B1 hyperscaler presence score of at least 1
1.5 to <2.5
Minimum composite: 1.5
No additional scale gate
<1.5
Minimum composite: 0.0
No additional scale gate
D-axis adjustment
Connectivity adjacency credit
A market may receive 50% of an eligible hub's Axis D score when it is within 100km, or 25% when it is within 250km. An eligible hub must have an own Axis D score of at least 3.5.
Complete scorebook
All 16 metric rubrics
Each metric converts a quantitative observation or structured qualitative assessment into a score from 0 to 5.
Axis A · 40% of composite
Commercial colocation
A1
Operational colocation capacity
Operational commercial colocation capacity in 2025, measured in megawatts.
30% of Axis A12% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
<1010 to <5050 to <100100 to <300300 to <700>=700
A2
Committed colocation growth
Committed commercial colocation growth from 2026 to 2031, measured in megawatts.
20% of Axis A8% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
<1010 to <5050 to <150150 to <400400 to <1,000>=1,000
A3
Competitive operator density
Number of competitive colocation operators, excluding state and incumbent telecommunications carriers.
25% of Axis A10% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
01-23-45-78-11>=12
A4
Enterprise workload depth
Depth of regulated financial-services, government, sovereign, headquarters and trading workloads.
25% of Axis A10% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
NoneSingle niche verticalEmerging baseMeaningful enterprise demandDeep multi-vertical enterpriseRegional enterprise capital
Axis B · 30% of composite
Hyperscale and self-build
B1
Hyperscaler physical presence
Quality-weighted physical capacity from hyperscale, cloud, AI-lab and neocloud operators.
45% of Axis B13.5% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
0 pts1-3 pts4-7 pts8-12 pts13-19 pts>=20 pts
B2
Cloud-region depth
Number and resilience of live cloud regions, with full availability-zone regions receiving the greatest credit.
15% of Axis B4.5% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
No cloud infrastructureEdge presence only - local zone, extended zone or cache PoP, no region1 region, not zone-redundant1 platform with a full AZ region, OR 2+ platforms with regions that are not zone-redundant2 platforms with full AZ regions3+ platforms with full AZ regions
B3
Self-build commitment
Operational self-build capacity and breadth of committed hyperscale operators.
30% of Axis B9% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
No footprintLand bank onlyUC only, or <40MW operational1+ operator, >=40MW operational2+ operators, >=150MW operational3+ operators, >=400MW operational
B4
Committed hyperscaler investment
Committed hyperscaler investment, measured in US dollars.
10% of Axis B3% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
<0.50.5-11-33-88-15>=15
Axis C · 15% of composite
AI market maturity
C1
Operational AI capacity
Operational data-centre capacity serving AI workloads.
30% of Axis C4.5% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
NonePilot <5MW5-20MW20-60MW60-150MW>=150MW
C2
Committed AI pipeline
AI capacity under construction or backed by committed financing.
30% of Axis C4.5% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
None<20MW20-60MW60-150MW150-400MW>=400MW
C3
AI demand diversity
Breadth of distinct AI demand classes active in the market.
20% of Axis C3% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
0 classes1 class2 classes3 classes4 classesAll five classes
C4
Power runway
Availability of power for future data-centre development.
20% of Axis C3% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
MoratoriumRefusalsLong queuesAdequateStrongSurplus/dedicated
Axis D · 15% of composite
Connectivity and network gravity
D1
Subsea-system reach
International subsea systems credited by landing distance from the metropolitan market.
25% of Axis D3.75% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
0 pts1-2 pts3-5 pts6-9 pts10-17 pts>=18 pts
D2
Peering depth
Connected networks at the market's largest internet exchange.
30% of Axis D4.5% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
No IX<5050-150150-400400-1,000>1,000
D3
Facility network density
Connected networks at the market's densest carrier-neutral facility.
25% of Axis D3.75% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
None<2020-5050-100100-250>250
D4
Route diversity and openness
Diversity of independent routes and cloud on-ramps, adjusted for chokepoint and monopoly-transit exposure.
20% of Axis D3% of composite
Score 0Score 1Score 2Score 3Score 4Score 5
IsolatedSingle corridor / pass-through / monopoly2 corridors or chokepoint-heavy3 corridors, moderate on-ramps4+ corridors, strong on-ramps5+ corridors, 5+ on-ramps, no chokepoint
Use the results