The Green Grid Association
The Green Grid Association is a 501(c)(6) industry consortium, founded in 2007 and now affiliated with ITI, that develops standardized data center efficiency metrics (PUE, WUE, CUE, DCRE, WUI) and calculation tools used globally by hyperscalers, OEMs, and data center operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBeaverton, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Green Grid Association does
The Green Grid Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit industry consortium founded in 2007 in Beaverton, Oregon, that develops measurement methodologies, calculation tools, and best-practice publications to improve the energy, water, and carbon efficiency of data centers. Its core intellectual property consists of globally adopted metrics — PUE, DCiE, WUE, CUE, DCRE, WUI, and ITWC — codified in a library of white papers (WP#32, #35, #93, #94, #95, etc.) and operationalized through web-based and downloadable Excel calculators, the TGG SEED server benchmark database, and the Coolant Distribution Unit sizing tool. The organization is governed by a small Executive Leadership Council (currently chaired by Dell's Robert White) and serves a member base of approximately 18 named enterprises including AWS, Google, Microsoft, Dell, HPE, IBM, Cisco, Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, NetApp, Vertiv, and Bank of America.
The Green Grid monetizes through company-size-tiered annual membership fees, supplemented by selective paid resources; many white papers and tools are freely available to the public while others are restricted to members or for purchase. Distribution is primarily direct (membership sales and the Causeway collaborative workspace) and self-serve (online library and scoring calculators), with thought-leadership marketing via webinars, white papers, and an active LinkedIn presence. The association engages in formal regulatory advocacy with the US EPA (ENERGY STAR), the European Commission (Lot 9), China CNIS, India TEC, and other bodies, and maintains strategic alliances with the Liquid Cooling Coalition, SPEC, SNIA, and Uptime Institute. Since 2019 it has operated as an affiliate of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), which provides shared back-office infrastructure while TGG retains its 501(c)(6) status and data-center focus.
The Green Grid Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Green Grid Association
- Legal name
- The Green Grid Association
- Website
- https://thegreengrid.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Green Grid Association is a 501(c)(6) industry consortium, founded in 2007 and now affiliated with ITI, that develops standardized data center efficiency metrics (PUE, WUE, CUE, DCRE, WUI) and calculation tools used globally by hyperscalers, OEMs, and data center operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Green Grid Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industry Standards & Data Center Efficiency Metrics
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards) (EUABAEAJ), Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), Audit-Ready Controls, Assurance & Compliance Workflow Tools (CSRD/SEC/ISSB) (EUABAEAG)
Keywords
Where The Green Grid Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beaverton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Green Grid Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: The Green Grid generates revenue through membership fees from data center industry companies. Cost of membership is based on company size. Members receive benefits including early access to draft content, unique opportunities for peer interactions, and access to the collaborative workspace (Causeway).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard membership with company-size-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Green Grid Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Green Grid Association is an industry consortium that develops vendor-neutral data center efficiency metrics (PUE, DCiE, WUE, CUE, DCRE, WUI, ITWC), publishes supporting white papers, and provides online and downloadable scoring calculators and benchmarking databases (SEED) for data center operators, equipment vendors, and regulators. Its membership-based offering gives organizations a voice in developing standards, early access to draft content, and participation in technical work groups, while free public resources support broader industry adoption.
Product overview
The Green Grid is an industry association focused on data center efficiency, offering a suite of metrics, calculation tools, and white papers. The core offerings include: (1) Efficiency Metrics - PUE, DCRE, WUI, WUE, CUE, and ITWC metrics for measuring data center sustainability; (2) Online Scoring Calculators - Web-based tools for WUI v1, DCRE v1, and ITWC v1 calculations; (3) Downloadable Tools - Excel-based calculators including WUI v1 Scoring Calculator, DCRE v1 Scoring Calculator, ITWC v1 Calculation Tool, Liquid Cooling TCO v4, Performance Indicator Tool, SEED Database, and OSDA Calculator; (4) White Papers - Technical documentation including WP#93 (DCRE), WP#95 (WUI), WP#35 (WUE), WP#32 (CUE), and many others covering data center cooling, compute efficiency, storage, and sustainability; (5) Educational Resources - Glossary of ICT terms and webinars. The organization operates primarily as a standards body providing measurement methodologies rather than a commercial software vendor.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WUI v1 Online Scoring Calculator Web-based calculator that computes the Water Usage Impact score for a data center based on water consumed and the Water Stress level of the area where the data center is located, supporting the WUI v1 metric.
- WUI v1 Scoring Calculator (Downloadable) Excel-based downloadable calculator that computes the Water Usage Impact based on water consumed by a data center and the Water Stress level, originally a factor in DCRE and now released as a standalone WUI tool.
- DCRE v1 Scoring Calculator Downloadable calculation tool that supports the Data Center Resource Effectiveness (DCRE) v1 metric, incorporating energy efficiency, water usage, water stress, and climate zones for data center resource effectiveness scoring.
- ITWC v1 Online Calculation Tool and User Guide Online user interface implementing White Paper #94 methodology for calculating IT equipment Work Capacity (Cserv) for data center compute efficiency assessments.
- ITWC v1 Calculation Tool and User Guide (Downloadable) Downloadable tool providing the IT equipment Work Capacity (ITWC) v1 calculation methodology for Cserv, supporting compute efficiency measurement in line with White Paper #94.
- Liquid Cooling TCO v4 Calculation Tool Total Cost of Operations calculator for liquid cooling options, helping data center operators assess tradeoffs across solution categories using member-provided, peer-reviewed content.
- Performance Indicator Tool Tool for data center cooling performance assessment and visualization aligned with White Paper #68, allowing entry, display, and storage of cooling performance data for multiple facilities.
- TGG Server Energy Efficiency Database (SEED) 2.0 Collection of anonymized server efficiency data from multiple equipment manufacturers containing SPEC SERT benchmark results, updated as new manufacturer data is received, supporting server benchmarking and energy efficiency analysis.
- Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) v2 Sizing Tool Sizing tool for Coolant Distribution Units in direct-to-chip liquid cooling systems, calculating required fluid temperature, total flow rate, and pressure drop across cold plates.
- Open Standard for Datacenter Availability (OSDA) Calculator Availability classification and rating system tool that enables relative comparison of data center designs and promotes innovation in energy-efficient and sustainable data center designs.
- WP#95 Water Usage Impact (WUI) v1 Metric White Paper White paper that defines the WUI v1 metric as a proxy based on the environmental impact of water consumed by a data center relative to the Water Stress level of its location.
- WP#93 Data Center Resource Effectiveness (DCRE) v1 Metric White Paper White paper describing the DCRE v1 methodology, a holistic data center effectiveness metric incorporating energy efficiency, water usage, water stress, and climate zones.
- WP#35 Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) White Paper Original Green Grid white paper introducing Water Usage Effectiveness as a data center sustainability metric.
- WP#32 Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE) White Paper Original Green Grid white paper introducing Carbon Usage Effectiveness as a data center sustainability metric.
- TGG Glossary Legacy searchable alphabetical glossary providing definitions for hundreds of ICT and data center terms and acronyms.
- The Green Grid Membership Annual membership program for organizations affiliated with the data center industry, providing access to technical work groups, early draft content, peer interaction opportunities, and the Causeway collaborative workspace. Membership fees are scaled to company size.
Quantifiable outcome
- Metrics and tools adopted globally as industry standards for data center efficiency measurement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Green Grid Association
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Green Grid Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
The Green Grid Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and emerging.
- Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)coreIn 2019, TGG was acquired as an affiliate member of ITI, a premier trade association that works to advance public policies for the tech sector. TGG continues to serve and advocate for the data center industry as a 501(c)(6) organization.
- Liquid Cooling Coalition (LCC)coreA new industry forum dedicated to advancing the adoption of liquid cooling to enable a sustainable future for data centers. Membership consists of industrial coolant producers, OEMs, ODMs, operators of HPC applications (e.g., large language models, machine learning), and data center providers. The LCC brings together key liquid cooling industry stakeholders to promote widespread adoption of liquid cooling solutions.
- Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC)coreA non-profit corporation establishing and maintaining standardized, vendor-agnostic benchmarks and tools to evaluate performance and energy efficiency for computing systems. Founded in 1988, SPEC has grown to become one of the world's leading computing performance standardization bodies with membership of over 120 leading hardware and software vendors, educational institutions, research organizations, and government agencies worldwide.
- Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA)coreA not-for-profit global organization comprised of member companies spanning the global storage market. SNIA's mission is to lead the storage industry worldwide in developing and promoting standards, technologies, and educational services. The Green Grid and SNIA are collaborating in developing standards, measurement methods, and processes to improve data center performance against defined metrics and promote adoption of energy-efficient standards.
- Uptime InstitutecoreAn unbiased advisory organization focused on improving the performance, efficiency, and reliability of business critical infrastructure through innovation, collaboration, and independent performance certifications. Known globally for the creation and administration of the Tier Standards & Certifications for Data Center Design, Construction, and Operational Sustainability.
- US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)keyTGG conducts advocacy work with the US EPA and actively cooperates with ENERGY STAR Labeling Program for Servers, Data Storage Products, and Data Centers. TGG has actively cooperated with these programs over many years and advocates for their continued existence.
- European Commission (Lot 9)keyTGG engages with the European Commission on Lot 9 regulations for servers and data storage products, providing technical expertise and response documents.
- China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS)keyTGG conducts advocacy work with CNIS regarding server energy efficiency standards and regulations in China.
- India Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC)emergingTGG conducts advocacy work with TEC regarding data center efficiency standards and regulations in India.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Green Grid Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Uptime Institute: Global advisory organization focused on data center performance, efficiency, and reliability; best known for the Tier Standards & Certifications. Directly comparable to TGG as both are independent bodies creating data center efficiency and operational standards, and they are listed as mutual strategic partners.
- ASHRAE (Technical Committee 9.9): Global building systems society whose TC 9.9 subcommittee publishes the Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments — the most widely cited thermal / efficiency standards for data centers. Direct peer competing for authority on data center environmental specifications.
- Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC): Non-profit that maintains vendor-neutral benchmarks (SPEC SERT, SPECpower) for evaluating server and computing system energy efficiency. Strategic partner of TGG but operates as a parallel standards body for compute-level efficiency measurement.
- Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA): Global not-for-profit organization that develops and promotes standards, technologies, and educational services for the storage industry. Strategic partner and peer to TGG in adjacent data center performance and energy-efficient standards work.
Regional players
- EU Code of Conduct on Data Centres: European Commission initiative setting voluntary data center efficiency best practices. A regional peer focused on EU markets, complementary to TGG's globally framed metrics.
- Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact: European industry pact committing data center operators and trade associations to climate-neutral operations by 2030. Adjacent European peer operating in the same efficiency-and-sustainability domain but with a regional, pledge-based model.
Emerging players
- Infrastructure Masons (iMasons): Global non-profit community for digital infrastructure industry professionals. Adjacent peer in the data center ecosystem with overlapping industry audience and educational mission, but less focused on formal technical metrics.
- Liquid Cooling Coalition: Industry forum promoting liquid cooling adoption, bringing together coolant producers, OEMs, and HPC operators. Strategic partner to TGG but a more narrowly scoped emerging player focused exclusively on liquid cooling.
Broad incumbents
- ENERGY STAR (US EPA): US government labeling program covering servers, data storage, and data centers. A broader incumbent authority in the same efficiency-rating space; TGG explicitly cooperates with ENERGY STAR but the program is far larger and backed by federal regulatory power.
- Information Technology Industry Council (ITI): Premier US tech trade association and TGG's parent organization since 2019. A broad incumbent operating across all of ICT policy and advocacy, with TGG as a specialized affiliate inside it.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Green Grid Association social profiles
Digital presenceThe Green Grid Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Green Grid Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
The Green Grid Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Green Grid Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Green Grid Association
What does The Green Grid Association do?
The Green Grid Association is an industry consortium that develops vendor-neutral data center efficiency metrics (PUE, DCiE, WUE, CUE, DCRE, WUI, ITWC), publishes supporting white papers, and provides online and downloadable scoring calculators and benchmarking databases (SEED) for data center operators, equipment vendors, and regulators. Its membership-based offering gives organizations a voice in developing standards, early access to draft content, and participation in technical work groups, while free public resources support broader industry adoption.
Is The Green Grid Association a public or private company?
The Green Grid Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Green Grid Association founded?
The Green Grid Association was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Green Grid Association based?
The Green Grid Association is headquartered in Beaverton, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Green Grid Association make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are The Green Grid Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Uptime Institute, ASHRAE (Technical Committee 9.9), Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) and Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA). Regional players are EU Code of Conduct on Data Centres and Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. Emerging players are Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) and Liquid Cooling Coalition. Broad incumbents are ENERGY STAR (US EPA) and Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).
Does The Green Grid Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Green Grid Association.
What industry is The Green Grid Association in?
The Green Grid Association's product category is Industry Standards & Data Center Efficiency Metrics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADANAI, Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation, with a secondary code of EUABAEAJ, Benchmarking, Ratings & Stakeholder Reporting Portals (Scorecards, Dashboards). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.