Google Joins Facebook For Open Compute Project
Improving data centers is a good thing for everyone, so even rivals like Facebook and Google are willing to team up for this endeavor. Rivals don’t always help each other, but when both stand to benefit, it makes sense. They are in fact teaming up. Google has joined Facebook’s open computer project that is researching how to improve data centers.
Google has contributed a new server rack spec that improves handling of data, and allows it to plug into Google computer technology. Google has built its own technology before, and is offering some of its technology but will surely get something in return.
If it helps the industry as a whole, it will help both companies individually, and developers around the world will develop too as technology develops.
Microsoft has become involved as well, contributing software for open networking in the Cloud. This will help tech companies build networking gear and switches using open source material.
Regardless of where your piece of the cloud is, you will probably notice it getting faster over time as though it were doing it by itself.
Facebook’s move is part of its overall effort to share specifications and other information about its data center in Oregon. This center was built with help from various computer companies and has boosted energy by 38 percent and lowered costs significantly. In theory anyone could use this information to build their own data center. They have made this even easier with their partnership with Google.
Soon after Facebook announced this, Google joined the open computer project. Google is basically donating its hardware to make the information and specs Facebook has shared more usable by people involved in the Cloud and in high performance data center type computing operations.
In a press release, Google said the industry has been struggling to come to grips with the high power loads required by data centers. It believes standardizing the design will help everyone, and that is why they are joining the program Facebook has created.
Google hopes there will be even more cooperation in the future, in doing things like finding better disk solutions for working in the cloud. Google said it believes even more developments can be made when companies work together to develop improvements to technology.
Microsoft has been part of the open computer project for a few years, as it too benefits from improved and more efficient servers. Its latest effort is to share its “Software for Open Networking in the Cloud” or “Sonic.”
This software will allow developers to have a framework to build open source code for the network they are in. Microsoft believes this software can be an important piece of the puzzle to deliver a fully functional, and open source switching platform. It will be able to share the software across different switch vendors, making technology more compatible.
While this personally affects only those involved with the technological aspects of data centers and highly advanced computer operations, it could reach to the consumer at some point. The result should be faster access in the cloud and even more storage space at a lower cost. While the tech companies will benefit, the savings for consumers should also trickle down at some point.
Katrina is a product specialist for RackSolutions, the market leader for designing and manufacturing custom racking products for the IT industry – You can read more about our company here
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