Top-12 Open Compute Project (OCP) Accomplishments – a New Model for Open Source Hardware Development #OCP

Every week, the HostingJournalist.com editorial staff is publishing a special selection of editorial pieces on a certain topic or trend. The HostingJournalist.com editor’s picks are being marked as #HJPICKS on our social media channels. This week we’re providing you with a Top-12 list of the most interesting news items on OCP (Open Compute Project) within the data center environment.

Founded by Facebook, Intel, and Rackspace, the Open Compute Foundation’s goal is to apply open source principles to hardware intended for use in data centers and telecommunication facilities. In the articles below you’ll find our editors’ selection of OCP accomplishments, including a VIDEO article from Intel about OCP  and a VIDEO article from Facebook from a few years ago when the OCP movement started.

Open Compute Project Announces 1st Regional Summit in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Steve-Helvie
Steve Helvie

July 2018 – In the US they were quite visible already when it comes to evangelizing the OCP message. The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) has now decided to put a bit more focus on Europe when it comes to spreading the OCP message and promoting open source principles for use in hardware and data center infrastructure. The first regional summit of the Open Compute Project Foundation will take place October 1 – 2, 2018 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, at the RAI Exhibition & Conference Center. Read further.

“Europe is a very important market for OCP in terms of data centers and telecom providers. That is why we invest a lot of time and energy in developing the OCP ecosystem in Europe. We work closely with companies that are able to support large IT organizations in exploring the opportunities offered by OCP. We also strive for a broad and varied group of partners in Europe who can help with, for example, training employees or providing support,” said Steve Helvie, Vice President Channel Development of OCP.

On-Demand Optical Network Provider AFIBER Deploys Connectivity PoP in Datacenter.com’s OCP-ready Amsterdam AMS1 Facility

Jochem-de-Gruyter
Jochem de Gruyter

July 2018 – Datacenter.com, a channel-focused provider of on-demand colocation services with a ‘high-profile’ brand name and a planned roll-out of colocation data centers in strategic markets worldwide, has added AFIBER to its connectivity portfolio in Datacenter.com Amsterdam AMS1. To accomplish this, AFIBER has deployed a network Point of Presence (PoP) in the Datacenter.com Amsterdam AMS1 data center.

Shortlisted at Datacloud Europe under the ‘Excellence in Data Centre Architecture and Design’ award category, this data center features an ultra-low thus highly energy-efficient PUE figure while being built according to OCP (Open Compute Project) standards. The Datacenter.com Amsterdam AMS1 facility has been AFIBER’s software-defined, on-demand networking proposition is the perfect fit for Datacenter.com’s own on-demand colocation proposition with month-to-month contracts. Read further.

“Like us, Datacenter.com has a passion for delivering high-quality data center infrastructure – in their case, with an ultra-low thus energy-efficient PUE figure and OCP-ready data halls. We’re looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Datacenter.com,” said Jochem de Gruyter, CEO of AFIBER.

Kao Data, Open Compute Project Announce First European Data Center to Meet OCP Design Principles

John-Laban
John Laban

June 2018 – Wholesale colocation provider Kao Data has been working together with the OCP Foundation in a pilot program to make its Kao Data London One facility OCP-Ready. OCP is working with two data centers – one US-based, and one in Europe (Kao Data) – to this end. Read further.

“Kao Data has embraced ideas found only elsewhere in hyper-scale data centers to deliver a high efficiency, highly flexible facility which is the first to be audited to meet the demands of the OCP user community. It’s a great achievement and we look forward to completing the process,” said John Laban, a well-known data center consultant and ambassador for the OCP Foundation.

Amsterdam-based CircleB Appointed as Europe’s First Authorized Channel Partner for Delivering OCP Solutions

Menno Kortekaas
Menno Kortekaas

June 2018 – The Open Compute Foundation has appointed CircleB from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as its first OCP (Open Computer Project) Solution Provider. CircleB is in good company as other OCP Solution Providers include Wiwynn, HPE, Inspur, Quanta Cloud Technology, Lenovo, and others. Read further.

“In server rooms where 10 or 20 racks are installed, OCP already offers interesting financial advantages. Working with OCP hardware is very attractive for European companies and government organizations as well,” said Menno Kortekaas, Chief Technology Officer of CircleB.

OCP Data Center Solutions Vendor, Wiwynn, Introduces Its High Density NVMe JBOF with Intel SSD ‘Ruler’ Form Factor

Emily-Hong
Emily Hong

April 2018 – Wiwynn, an innovative OCP (Open Compute Project) solution provider delivering high-end computing and storage products, plus rack solutions for data centers, has introduced its new high-density 1U all-flash JBOF (Just a bunch of flash) – ST5100, based on the open-source cloud hardware specifications of Microsoft’s Project Olympus. Read further.

“Wiwynn prioritizes data center workload optimization and best TCO. We are excited to introduce the innovative ST5100 that combines the advantages of Microsoft’s Project Olympus and Intel’s SSD ruler form factor for data centers for serviceability, high-density storage capacity, and thermal efficiency all in one 1U system,” said Emily Hong, President at Wiwynn.

Switch Datacenters Unveils Global Licensing Model for Rapid Data Center Deployment with Patented Technologies

Gregor Snip
Gregor Snip

January 2018 – Switch Datacenters, a European provider of build-to-suit corporate data centers and enterprise-grade colocation facilities, announces the launch of its wholesale Data Center as a Service program enabling rapid data center deployment on a global scale. The program provides organizations the opportunity to license Switch Datacenters’ patented data center technologies and obtain an integrated, full-service data center infrastructure package with highly energy-efficient cooling (calculated pPUE: 1,03 – 1,06), modular power infrastructure and racks included. This data center infrastructure is OCP-ready, which means that it is suitable for Open Rack Systems based on Open Compute Project (OCP) principles. Read further.

“Our Data Center as a Service program provides hyper-scale data center providers, enterprises, cloud services providers and real estate owners alike the opportunity to deploy new data centers within short-term notice,” said Gregor Snip, CEO, and founder of Switch Datacenters.

Asperitas Showcases Oil-Cooled OCP Servers At atom86 Data Center in Amsterdam

Maikel-Bouricius
Maikel Bouricius

December 2017 – Dutch cleantech start-up Asperitas, a company that recently won the TNO Piet de Jong innovation award for its Data Center in a Box solution with servers being submerged in oil, has announced it will be showcasing an immersed cassette with Open Compute Project (OCP) servers in their AIC24 housing module at the atom86 data center in Amsterdam. This OCP pilot unit, provided by hardware manufacturer Wiwynn through a partnership with Dutch OCP distributor Circle B, has been immersed for the first time during the international high-performance computing conference ISC 2017 in Frankfurt. Read further.

“As the Asperitas AIC24 solution is a highly flexible and scalable data center solution, it might especially cater to the needs of cloud providers. With its high-density characteristics, our solution also fits the requirements of Intel and NVIDIA’s next-generation chips and motherboards with not only high performance but also very high output,” said Maikel Bouricius, Marketing Manager at Asperitas.

Rittal: 3 Data Center Trends That Will Impact IT Management in 2018 (Including OCP)

Andreas Keiger
Andreas Keiger

December 2017 – Data center solutions vendor Rittal, one of the largest providers of IT enclosures, IT cooling, power distribution, data center monitoring & management software, with large-scale production plants across the world, has shared some data center trends to watch in the coming year.

Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President Global BU IT Infrastructure, Rittal, states that multi-cloud, edge computing, and ‘open compute’ are data center trends to watch in 2018. Read further.

“OCP (Open Compute Project) and Open19. Inside the IT rack, only one central power pack supplies the active IT components with data center power. This cuts about five percent of the energy costs of each rack. Data center operators who are not hyperscalers should also consider this option next year,” said Andreas Keiger, Executive Vice President Global BU IT Infrastructure, Rittal.

Microsoft’s Project Olympus Addresses OCP Requirements to Drive Cloud Hardware Innovation At Scale

Raejeanne Skillern
Raejeanne Skillern

March 2017 – Microsoft introduced Project Olympus In November 2016 at Zettastructure, the European digital infrastructure conference hosted by Datacenter Dynamics. As you can watch in this VIDEO, Project Olympus is Microsoft’s next generation rack level solution that is open sourced through Open Compute Project (OCP). Project Olympus addresses a variety of cloud workloads for Microsoft Cloud.

 

In November 2017, Microsoft entered the next phase of Project Olympus with the introduction of Project Cerberus – a new open sourced industry standard for platform security which will be collaboratively developed with the OCP community in a manner similar to the hardware design. Project Olympus hardware is now commercially available for procurement via OCP Solution Providers including Wiwynn, and ZT Systems, with more to follow. Read further and watch the VIDEO.

“Intel is involved with the OCP community from the very beginning. As we transition to our next generation Intel processors code-named Skylake, we see the opportunity to really take platforms like Hardware Olympus and the other investments we made in OCP and see real adoption, not only in the hyperscale arena but across many different customer types,” said Raejeanne Skillern, Vice President Data Center Group, GM Cloud Service Provider Business at Intel Corporation.

Schneider Electric, Microsoft Unveil Universal Rack Power Distribution Solution based on OCP Principles

Robert Bunger
Robert Bunger

March 2017 – At the OCP U.S. Summit 2017 in Santa Clara, California, Schneider Electric has announced it has partnered with Microsoft on the design of a Universal Rack Power Distribution Unit (UPDU) for Open Compute Project (OCP)-based data centers. The co-engineered solution offers a single UPDU to simplify rack power system procurement, inventory management and deployment processes for data center operators managing large, hyperscale and colocation data centers. Read further.

“Working closely with Microsoft and within the open source community has enabled Schneider Electric to deliver a truly innovative solution that overcomes real issues seen in large scale global deployments. The Universal PDU will enable our partners and data center operators to deploy rack scale capacity anywhere in the globe at speeds not seen before, while minimizing project risks,” said Robert Bunger, director of Data Center Standards, Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric White Paper Analyses Data Center Architectures supporting the Open Compute Project

Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown

June 2016 – Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation, has announced a new White Paper – #228: “Analysis of Data Center Architectures Supporting Open Compute Project.” The authors are Kevin Brown, the Senior Vice President of Data Center Solutions at Schneider Electric, and Wendy Torell, a Senior Research Analyst at Schneider Electric’s Data Center Science Center. Read further.

“The Open Compute Project (OCP) has had a significant impact on data center design, with the focus to date being primarily at the rack level. However, there are important implications for the provision of upstream power that need to be taken into account to ensure that expected levels of redundancy and maintainability can be delivered as well as the flexibility to support both traditional and OCP equipment,” said Kevin Brown, the Senior Vice President of Data Center Solutions at Schneider Electric and co-author of the Schneider Electric White Paper – #228.

Facebook wins 2012 Uptime Institute Green Enterprise IT Award

Matt Stansberry
Matt Stansberry

June 2012 –In this VIDEO, Facebook wins the ‘2012 Uptime Institute Green Enterprise IT Award’ in the category of Audacious Idea for their Open Compute Project. Although founded in 2011, this is probably the moment when the Open Compute Foundation

The Audacious Idea Award was recognizing new, unprecedented ideas for realizing energy and resource efficiency in the IT and data center industries. Read further and watch the VIDEO.

“This year over 100 organizations from 23 countries participated in the 2012 GEIT Awards from companies across the globe, presenting some of the most impressive applications our judges have seen to date. The Uptime Institute GEIT Awards program showcases the energy efficiency efforts of the most innovative data center operators and vendors, and contributes to the shared knowledge and best practices of our industry,” said Matt Stansberry, Program Director of Uptime Institute Symposium and Director of Content and Publications for Uptime Institute.

#HJpicks
Every Monday, the HostingJournalist.com editorial staff will publish a special selection of editorial pieces on a certain topic or trend. The HostingJournalist.com editor’s picks are being marked as # HJPICKS on our social media channels. This week we’re providing you with a list of news items on the latest mergers and acquisitions within the global colocation data center market.