# Show HN: The Cascade Graph – An interactive map of AI and energy constraints

> Source: <https://atomprophet.io/tools/cascade/>
> Published: 2026-06-23 15:22:41+00:00

# The Cascade Graph

Economics is downstream of physics. This is a knowledge graph of how stress flows through the real economy — the drivers that push, the chokepoints where stress concentrates, the jurisdictions and geographies that control them, and the investable tickers where value accrues. Things are getting worse; the graph is built to find where that pain cascades — and what you can own on both the problem and the solution side.

**393** nodes (34 drivers · 88 chokepoints · 10 geographies · 5 jurisdictions · 4 substitutes · 252 tickers) · **562** sourced mechanism edges · **17** feedback loops · every link in plain language, graded & cited.

On a phone, using a keyboard or a screen reader, or just prefer plain text? [Open the accessible Cascade Index →](/tools/cascade-index/) — the same nodes and tickers as a structured, readable map, no JavaScript required. Unfamiliar term? [See the glossary →](/glossary/)

#### How to use this

**1. Pick a theme** from the dropdown to cut the clutter — the graph fades everything outside that mega-theme. **2. Click any node** to open its evidence file (why it matters, sourced data, tickers, further reading, and what it drives / what drives it). **3. Focus mode** isolates a node's direct causes and consequences. **4. A cascade is a one-way chain** (driver → chokepoint → ticker); **a feedback loop is a closed cycle** that amplifies (reinforcing) or dampens (balancing) itself — toggle **Loops** to see only those.

**two fingers** to pan / zoom · one finger scrolls the page · tap a node for its evidence

## What this is, and how to read it

The Cascade Graph is a directed *knowledge graph* of the physical economy. Stress flows left-to-right: **drivers** push pressure into the system; **jurisdictions** and **geographies** gate it; it concentrates at **chokepoints**; **substitutes** cap the upside; and value finally accrues to investable **terminals** (tickers). Every arrow is a plain-language mechanism — "drives demand for", "is the bottleneck for", "controls production of" — not jargon.

#### Cascade ≠ Feedback loop

A **cascade** is a one-way chain: a problem flows downhill to the assets it hits. A **feedback loop** is a closed cycle that circles back to amplify (reinforcing, +) or dampen (balancing, −) its own cause. Loops are where the thesis compounds.

#### Problem vs. Solution plays

Each node is tagged a **problem play** (own the scarcity), a **solution play** (own what gets bought to fix it), or **both**. Switch the color mode to see the whole map through that lens.

#### Every edge is graded

Each link carries a **basis**: **measured** (institutional data), **established** (textbook/consensus mechanism), or **reasoned** (our own defensible inference). Inferred links are never dressed up as cited data.

#### No orphans

Every one of the 393 nodes is wired to the rest through a real physical or economic mechanism. The graph is a single connected system — because the real economy is.

### Open data — one worked branch

People have asked to see the data behind the graph. Rather than export the whole thing, here is **one branch worked end-to-end** — the copper chokepoint with its drivers, geographies, substitutes, feedback loops, and the vetted ticker terminals (each with venue, liquidity tier, and median daily dollar-volume). It is enough to inspect the data model and judge the quality of a node, and it mirrors the [Copper Chokepoint](/posts/copper-chokepoint/) article. The companion schema documents every field.

[Download copper sample (JSON)](/data/cascade-sample-copper.json) [Download schema (JSON)](/data/cascade-schema.json)

One branch of a 393-node graph. The full populated dataset is not publicly exported. Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 (attribution, non-commercial). **If there is genuine interest, we will release more branches.**