Systems, methods, and other embodiments are disclosed that use constraint programming to dynamically distribute cache throughout a data grid. In one embodiment, modeling logic is configured to generate a constraint programming model based at least in part on a set of constraints that limits assignment of a plurality of data partitions to a plurality of virtual machines hosted on a plurality of physical machines in a data grid. Solver logic is configured to generate at least one solution for assigning the plurality of data partitions to the plurality of virtual machines by operating on the constraint programming model using constraint programming techniques.