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Ratings for the physical buildout of AI

Jurisdiction Index / US — Georgia (Southern/Georgia Power)

US — Georgia (Southern/Georgia Power)

Tier 2 · Competitive
Stable
Rank #5 of 30
Data confidence A
67.2 /100

JCI composite · as of · methodology v0

US — Georgia (Southern/Georgia Power) scores 67.2/100 on the Compute Institute Jurisdiction Competitiveness Index (Tier 2, Competitive), ranking #5 of 30 rated jurisdictions with a stable outlook, as of June 15, 2026 under methodology v0. Its strongest dimension is Stability & Execution Risk at 8.3/10; its weakest is Power Availability & Deliverability at 6/10. 22 of 22 sub-factors are scored on E1–E2 evidence (data confidence A).

Dimension breakdown

Seven dimensions, each 0–10, weighted per methodology v0. JCI = Σ(dimension × weight) × 10.

Power Availability & Deliverability

6 /10 weight 20%

Power Cost

6.3 /10 weight 12.5%

Speed to Build

7 /10 weight 17.5%

Regulatory & AI Policy Environment

6.3 /10 weight 12.5%

Fiscal & Incentives

6.8 /10 weight 10%

Capital & Ecosystem Depth

6.3 /10 weight 12.5%

Stability & Execution Risk

8.3 /10 weight 15%

Sub-factor scores and sources

Every base-scored input below carries E1–E2 evidence: a justification, an evidence-level grade, and a link to the underlying source document.

Power Availability & Deliverability — 6/10 (weight 20%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
Grid headroom 40% of dimension 6 /10 GA PSC certified ~10 GW of new generation in Dec 2025 (~80% for data centers) within a ~14 GW-by-2030 expansion plan; vertically integrated planning gives more credible headroom than queue-based markets. as of
E1
Georgia PSC Data Center Fact Sheet (Mar 2026) psc.ga.gov
Time-to-power 35% of dimension 5.5 /10 Georgia Power large-load process typically delivers firm offers in ~3-4 years for >100 MW loads; pipeline rationalization (6 GW shed) signals discipline rather than shorter waits. as of
E2
Georgia Power large-load pipeline (reported, Utility Dive) www.utilitydive.com
Energy mix & expandability 15% of dimension 7 /10 Vogtle 3/4 nuclear online, approved gas/battery expansion, and a PSC-approved bring-your-own clean-resources framework for large loads. as of
E1
GA PSC approval of Georgia Power BYO clean resources plan (reported, Utility Dive) www.utilitydive.com
Water availability 10% of dimension 6.5 /10 Generally low-to-medium stress per WRI, but metro Atlanta withdrawals are constrained by the ACF basin compact history. as of
E1
WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas www.wri.org

Power Cost — 6.3/10 (weight 12.5%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
Industrial electricity price 60% of dimension 6.5 /10 EIA Georgia industrial average ~7-7.5 c/kWh ($70-75/MWh), near US median for large industrial load. as of
E1
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A www.eia.gov
Price trajectory & exposure 25% of dimension 5.5 /10 Jan 2025 PSC rule makes >100 MW customers pay upstream grid costs, insulating them from political backlash but raising all-in cost; $52B expansion creates rate-base escalation. as of
E1
Georgia PSC Data Center Fact Sheet (Mar 2026) psc.ga.gov
Cost certainty / contractability 15% of dimension 7 /10 Regulated framework with mandatory long-term (15-yr) contracts for very large loads provides certainty; limited third-party PPA optionality inside Georgia Power territory. as of
E1
Georgia Power large-load tariff filings (GA PSC) psc.ga.gov

Speed to Build — 7/10 (weight 17.5%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
Permitting regime 40% of dimension 7 /10 Business-friendly state and county permitting with no state environmental review for private builds; a few metro-Atlanta zoning restrictions emerging. as of
E1
Georgia PSC Data Center Fact Sheet (Mar 2026) psc.ga.gov
Observed construction velocity 35% of dimension 7 /10 QTS Atlanta, Meta Newton County and similar campuses delivered on ~2-yr shells; internal project DB not yet populated. as of
E2
Sponsor disclosures (QTS/Meta Georgia campuses) www.qtsdatacenters.com
Labor & supply capacity 25% of dimension 7 /10 Strong Southeast construction labor market and EPC depth around Atlanta; competition from other regional megaprojects. as of
E2
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics www.bls.gov

Regulatory & AI Policy Environment — 6.3/10 (weight 12.5%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
AI-specific law in force 35% of dimension 5.5 /10 No comprehensive Georgia AI statute in force; federal baseline only — permissive but uncertain per D4 note. as of
E1
Georgia General Assembly legislative record www.legis.ga.gov
DC-specific regulation 35% of dimension 6 /10 PSC large-load rules in force; 2026 session bills to curb tax breaks and rate impacts failed, leaving regime unchanged; isolated local restrictions (Atlanta BeltLine ordinance). as of
E1
Georgia 2026 legislative session outcome (reported, 13WMAZ) www.13wmaz.com
Regulatory predictability 30% of dimension 7.5 /10 US WGI Regulatory Quality/Rule of Law high-80s percentile; stable PSC process. as of
E1
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators www.worldbank.org

Fiscal & Incentives — 6.8/10 (weight 10%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
Enacted incentives 40% of dimension 8 /10 State+local sales/use tax exemption for qualifying data center equipment in force (O.C.G.A. §48-8-3(68.1)), thresholds from $25M-$250M by county size. as of
E1
O.C.G.A. §48-8-3 (data center equipment exemption) law.justia.com
Headline tax burden 40% of dimension 6.5 /10 Georgia CIT 5.39% (on a legislated path down) plus 21% federal. as of
E1
Georgia Department of Revenue — corporate income tax dor.georgia.gov
Incentive durability 20% of dimension 5 /10 2024 suspension bill vetoed and 2026 repeal attempts failed, but $474M FY25 forgone-revenue audit keeps the exemption politically contested. as of
E1
Georgia 2026 legislative session outcome (reported, 13WMAZ) www.13wmaz.com

Capital & Ecosystem Depth — 6.3/10 (weight 12.5%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
Committed capital 40% of dimension 7.5 /10 Multi-GW of certified, contracted large-load projects behind the PSC's 10 GW generation approval (Meta, Microsoft, QTS, Anthropic-linked campuses). as of
E1
Georgia PSC Data Center Fact Sheet (Mar 2026) psc.ga.gov
Ecosystem 30% of dimension 8 /10 Atlanta is a top-5 US DC market with major carrier hotel density (56 Marietta), transatlantic fiber via coastal landings, full hyperscaler presence, unrestricted GPUs. as of
E1
EIA/ERCOT load data; TeleGeography fiber maps www.submarinecablemap.com
Sovereign/anchor capital availability 30% of dimension 3 /10 No sovereign or state co-investment vehicle targeting AI infrastructure. as of
E1
IFSWF member directory (no US state AI-infra SWF) www.ifswf.org

Stability & Execution Risk — 8.3/10 (weight 15%)

Sub-factor
Score
Justification
Evidence
Source
Political/policy continuity 40% of dimension 7.5 /10 Consistent bipartisan pro-investment posture; veto of incentive rollback demonstrated executive continuity. as of
E1
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators www.worldbank.org
Currency, transfer & convertibility 35% of dimension 9.5 /10 USD, no capital controls, AA+ sovereign. as of
E1
IMF AREAER — United States www.elibrary-areaer.imf.org
Physical & geopolitical risk 25% of dimension 8 /10 No sanctions/conflict exposure; moderate hurricane-remnant and severe-weather exposure inland. as of
E1
FEMA National Risk Index hazards.fema.gov

Signals

Recent ingested source documents linked to this jurisdiction via extracted claims or triage mentions, newest first.

  1. E4
    They’re fighting datacenters in rural Georgia – and hope to inspire other communities

    · The Guardian · relevance 0.70

  2. E4
    Qcells begins Georgia solar cell production to boost US supply chain

    · Latitude Media · relevance 0.30

  3. E4
    Georgia utility commission races test party loyalty after recent power bill hikes

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.20

  4. E4
    Georgia’s gas tax suspension lifts, raising prices by 33 cents per gallon

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.00

  5. E4
    Commission approves Georgia Power fuel rate decrease

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.20

  6. E4
    Chattahoochee Riverkeeper files lawsuit over muddy water coming from Columbus construction site

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.00

  7. E4
    Take two: These Democratic, Republican statewide races are headed to June runoffs

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.00

  8. E4
    Meta data center allegedly muddies Georgia town's drinking water, investigation underway — EPA promises immediate investigation after congresswoman brings dirty jars of water to hearing

    · Tom’s Hardware · relevance 0.70

  9. E4
    Georgia Public Service Commission race will be settled by June runoff

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.00

  10. E4
    Judicial ethics panel says Jordan, Rankin likely violated rules in state Supreme Court campaigns

    · Georgia Recorder · relevance 0.00

Scores are reproducible from the frozen inputs snapshot recorded at computation time (2026-06-15T23:52:43+00:00). See the full methodology for rubrics, weights, and the evidence ladder.