Today, Microsoft open sources its next-gen hyperscale cloud hardware design. The code was contributed to the Open Compute Project. Microsoft became a member of OCP which also has big tech companies like Google, IBM, Intel and Facebook. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has chipped into the OCP but has likely made contributions of a number of servers, networking and data center designs. OCP is helpful in getting more ideas from the designer community without any costs. Two heads are better than one and so are multiple ideas that give rise to more advance gadgets.
In the Open Compute Project the Project Olympus is taking a new approach. The traditional approach to open source hardware is contributing designs that are already in final production stage. However, this time Project Olympus is contributing designs which aren’t in production yet. It means that the community can collaborate in the design process of the project. This approach through Open Compute Project is to decrease the time to market the new product and lower the investment cost.
Project Olympus consists of a universal motherboard that can be used in a variety of server configurations. It has a high availability of power supply with backup batteries and some of chassis schematics. This new kit is only 50 percent complete making sure that the designer community collaborates fully in the final design. Microsoft earlier has given back to the OCP community by giving the blueprint design to the SONic switching kit.
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The open source data center hardware is the first of its kind in OCP. It is re-imagining collaboration and marketing. Microsoft quotes that over 90 percent of the servers it currently purchases are base on the OCP contributed specs. Amazon is not a part of the OCP but it seems that Google is trying to make itself comfortable in the OCP.
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