As a result of this limited available knowledge, computational studies have contributed to the prediction of stable germanium distributions, and to understanding the principles behind their stability. Density functional calculations have been performed for several Ge-zeolite topologies, including UTL and BEC (ITQ-17), showing that at low Ge content, the D4R sites are energetically preferred, with a slight preference for Ge-O-Ge clustering over disconnected Ge distributions. The high expense of DFT calculations however limited these investigations to selected configurations and low Ge content. Attempts to statistically sample the large configuration space of Ge in BEC and ITQ-7 using inexpensive empirical potentials also showed a preference for D4R sites and a dependence of that preference on Ge loading, implying a collective structure-directing effect of Ge. However, the preference for Ge-O-Ge clustering was not observed, owing to limitations in the accuracy of the forcefield at high Ge concentrations.