The Greenpool Index — methodology (v0.1 draft)

DRAFT — pending founder review

Status: v0.1 draft, prepared for founder review. Nothing on this page is final until it is signed off and versioned. Scores are not yet published for any facility.

The Greenpool Index scores AI-compute facilities and providers on two independent axes. A facility can be genuinely green and jurisdictionally exposed, or fully sovereign and quietly fossil-backed — the two questions deserve separate answers.

Axis 1 — Green (0–100)

DimensionWeightWhat we look for
Power source verifiability35%Physical PPA or direct supply beats certificates (GOs/RECs). Grid-mix honesty. Named counterparties.
Energy efficiency (PUE)25%Published, audited PUE beats “design target”. Measurement standard disclosed (ISO/IEC 30134-2).
Heat reuse20%Waste heat delivered to district heating or industry, with named offtaker and volume.
Grid additionality & impact20%Does the facility bring new renewable generation, or consume scarce existing hydro? Grid-connection transparency.

Axis 2 — Sovereign (0–100)

DimensionWeightWhat we look for
Ownership & ultimate control35%Ultimate beneficial owner, jurisdiction of parent, foreign-control exposure (e.g. US CLOUD Act, Chinese parent).
Legal jurisdiction of operations25%Operating entity’s jurisdiction; contract governing law; EU/EEA data-protection reach.
Operational control25%Who holds root? Where are operations staffed? Remote-management exposure.
Data residency guarantees15%Contractual, auditable residency vs. marketing statements.

Scoring rules

  1. Only public or provider-confirmed evidence counts. Unverified claims score as absent, not as true.
  2. Sponsors never touch scores. Commercial relationships are disclosed on every scored page.
  3. Uncertainty is published as uncertainty. Every score carries a confidence grade (A: audited/primary, B: corroborated secondary, C: single-source).
  4. Right of reply. Providers see their assessment before publication and their response is published verbatim.
  5. Corrections policy. Errors are corrected in place with a dated changelog; the original wording remains visible.

What the Index is not

Not a ranking of “best datacenter” — workloads differ. Not pay-to-play. Not a substitute for your own due diligence; it is the map you start it with.