Strategic external intelligence for
AI and data infrastructure

External risk intelligence is the continuous, quantified measurement of the outside-world risks that affect AI developers, cloud providers, chip makers and data centre operators: export controls, permitting and power constraints, AI regulation, litigation, supplier concentration and public opposition. Polecat provides this as Strategic External Intelligence for AI and data infrastructure, scoring each risk out of 100 with a timeline and a probability, benchmarked against peers and projected three to six months ahead, with every score traceable to its sources. How Polecat works

Polecat follows the Bureau of Industry and Security, CFIUS, the European Commission and national export authorities from proposal through consultation to enforcement, together with the trade press, think tank and government commentary that usually precedes a rule change. Each development is scored for direction, velocity and likely effect on named products, suppliers and markets, so commercial and supply chain teams see a tightening control building before shipments are affected. Peer benchmarking shows whether exposure is specific to one company or shared across the sector.

Yes. Polecat scores local opposition, planning and permitting activity, grid connection constraints and water use disputes around data centre sites and regions, drawing on planning records, local press, utility and regulator sources, NGO campaigns and community statements. Each site or region is scored for prominence and rate of change, so a dispute gathering momentum is flagged while there is still time to engage. The view extends to planned sites and markets a client is evaluating.

Polecat tracks the EU AI Office and the implementation of the EU AI Act, US federal and state legislation and agency guidance, the UK AI Security Institute and sector regulators, and equivalent bodies in other markets, from consultation through to enforcement. Policy movement is scored by jurisdiction, by obligation and by direction, so legal, policy and product teams see which requirements are hardening and which are stalling. Polecat provides the measured evidence; it does not provide legal advice.

Yes. Polecat scores litigation and regulatory action on model safety, copyright, data protection and competition against a client and its peers, for severity, velocity, authority and reach. Because comparable cases are held in the archive, a new claim can be benchmarked against how similar actions developed, which supports a measured view of time to impact and likely trajectory. Legal and communications teams receive alerts when a matter clears a severity threshold and a consolidated view on the live dashboard.

Yes. Polecat scores foundries, component suppliers, equipment vendors, colocation partners and energy providers as named entities for regulatory, safety, geopolitical and reputational risk, with escalation flagged before it reaches a client’s supply or capacity. Supplier concentration in one region or one vendor can be measured against the external risk building there. Clients supply the partner list; Polecat backfills history and benchmarks each against its own peers.

Polecat provides a live, quantified read on how regulators, communities, investors, academics, NGOs and the public are responding to AI deployment, data centre development and a client’s own brand, with each voice weighted for authority and reach rather than counted by volume. Issues are shown as building, stable or resolving and benchmarked against peers. Polecat measures conversations and outcomes across external sources; it is not a social media monitoring service. The reputation and communications view

Yes. Polecat scores power availability, grid connection timelines, energy pricing, carbon policy and transition commitments by market and by site, drawing on regulators, utilities, government and trade sources. For capacity planning, this provides a measured view of where energy constraints are tightening and where policy is moving in a client’s favour. The same engine covers community and environmental scrutiny of energy use, which often precedes formal constraint.

Polecat scores a client and a chosen peer set on the same basis, so exposure to export controls, regulation, litigation, infrastructure constraint and public opposition can be compared directly. The sector reading on this page is the aggregate index for AI and data infrastructure, scored out of 100 and refreshed twice daily; a client’s own view is calibrated to its products, sites and markets. Competitive intensity is measured as an external risk in its own right, including competitor moves in the client’s current and target markets.

Yes. Polecat provides MCP access so that Polecat’s quantified external intelligence can be queried from Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and in-house agents, alongside an API for integration into risk, data and GRC platforms. PolecatX is also available through AWS Marketplace. Teams that want to work directly in the source data use the platform; teams that want the output delivered use briefings, alerts and live dashboards. Every route runs on the same scored, source-traceable data. How Polecat works