Open Compute Project

Open Compute Project
Name	Open Compute Project
Formation	2011
Founder	Facebook, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel Corporation
Type	Non-profit consortium
Purpose	Open-source data center hardware designs
Headquarters	Menlo Park, California
Region served	Global

Open Compute Project is an industry consortium founded to redesign hardware technology for large-scale computing with open-source specifications. It brings together engineers and institutions to share designs for servers, storage, networking, and data center facilities, promoting interoperability among companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Amazon (company), and vendors such as Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Intel Corporation. The project collaborates with academic and standards organizations including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Open Networking Foundation, and Linux Foundation.

History

The initiative originated in 2011 when engineers from Facebook and partners including Intel Corporation and Rackspace sought to publish server designs used in hyperscale data centers. Early milestones involved public design disclosures at events alongside organizations like Facebook F8, FOSDEM, and SC Conference. The consortium attracted participants from cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Amazon Web Services and hardware vendors like Dell Technologies and Cisco Systems. Over time, alliances formed with research institutions including Carnegie Mellon University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, while standards bodies like Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Telecommunications Industry Association intersected with technical work. Major events and summits in cities such as San Jose, California, San Francisco, New York City, and London helped disseminate designs and attracted contributors from corporates like Oracle Corporation, IBM, Broadcom Inc., Marvell Technology Group, Supermicro, and Arista Networks.

Mission and Principles

The consortium promotes open hardware specification and collaborative engineering to lower costs and improve energy efficiency for large-scale computing used by companies like Netflix, LinkedIn, Dropbox (service), Spotify, and Airbnb. Principles emphasize modularity, standard interfaces, and thermal efficiency influenced by research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and testing with tools from National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Governance and contribution practices draw parallels to open-source models championed by Linux Foundation projects and the Apache Software Foundation while aligning with interoperability efforts seen in OpenStack and Kubernetes ecosystems. The ethos resonates with procurement and manufacturing partners including Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron Corporation to drive scalable production.

Hardware Designs and Projects

Design work spans servers, storage, networking, racks, and power systems exemplified by projects for hyperscale server sleds, cold-aisle containment influenced by ASHRAE recommendations, and modular switch designs used by Facebook and Microsoft. Notable efforts influenced or paralleled by vendors include developments in top-of-rack switches by Arista Networks and optical interconnects informed by Ciena and Corning Incorporated research. Storage initiatives parallel architectures from NetApp and EMC Corporation while compute platforms intersect with CPUs from Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices and accelerators from NVIDIA and Intel Xeon Phi. Power and cooling solutions reference grid and utility partnerships with companies like Schneider Electric and Siemens and have been trialed in facilities operated by Equinix and Digital Realty. The project’s hardware repositories interface with manufacturing ecosystems involving Seagate Technology and Western Digital Corporation.

Governance and Membership

The consortium operates as a collaborative nonprofit with membership tiers spanning major cloud providers, OEMs, ODMs, and component suppliers including Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, Broadcom Inc., Marvell Technology Group, NVIDIA, and Google LLC. Working groups and project teams include engineers from Facebook, Microsoft, Alibaba Group, Tencent, and academic contributors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The governance model echoes structures used by Linux Foundation and OpenStack Foundation with technical steering and specification review processes similar to those in IETF and W3C consortia. Global chapters and events bring in regional participants like NTT Communications, SoftBank, SK Hynix, and Samsung Electronics.

Impact and Adoption

Designs have influenced deployment practices at hyperscalers such as Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon (company), and motivated suppliers like Supermicro and Foxconn to produce interoperable hardware. Energy-optimized layouts and rack designs affected data center operators including Equinix, Digital Realty, and telecommunications carriers such as AT&T and Verizon Communications. Open specifications contributed to a broader market for commodity data center equipment, intersecting with standards from IEEE, ASHRAE, and regional regulators; adoption also spurred innovation in server accelerators from NVIDIA and storage media from Seagate Technology and Western Digital Corporation. Academic studies from Carnegie Mellon University and University of California, Berkeley have evaluated performance and lifecycle impacts.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have argued that openness favors large hyperscalers including Facebook, Google, and Microsoft who can exploit economies of scale, potentially disadvantaging smaller vendors and regional operators like Telefonica or Deutsche Telekom. Security researchers from institutions such as University of Cambridge and Princeton University raised concerns about supply-chain risks involving manufacturers like Foxconn and Pegatron Corporation and component vendors including Broadcom Inc. and Marvell Technology Group. Trade and procurement debates involved regulators and policy bodies such as Federal Communications Commission, European Commission, and standards organizations like ISO and IEC. Legal and intellectual property discussions referenced precedents involving Open Source Initiative licensing disputes and corporate governance cases seen at Facebook and Oracle Corporation.

Category:Computer hardware organizations