OpenCompute

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  • Facebook's Open Compute takes on data storage, designs a better home for your photos

    by 
    Sean Buckley
    Sean Buckley
    02.26.2012

    Facebook wasn't kidding when it said it wanted to build better backends for the digital world -- after sharing the plans for its customized data center, it's looking to do the same with storage hardware. "We're taking the same approach we took with servers," Frank Frankovsky, Facebook's director of Hardware Design, told Wired. "Eliminate anything that's not directly adding value." Frankovsky says they are working on a completely tool-less design, eliminating the need for mounting screws and plastic handles on hot-plug driver carriers. The goal is to get the outfit's new storage digs to run as efficiently as its previous efforts, streamlining hardware to be more serviceable, cost less and use less energy. The new storage designs are set to debut at the Open Compute Summit in early May, and hopes that sharing the designs will help redefine how storage hardware is made. Check out the source link below for Wired's in-depth look at the project.[Photo credit: Jon Snyder/Wired.com]

  • Facebook's Open Compute Project shares plans for energy-efficient data center

    by 
    Christopher Trout
    Christopher Trout
    04.07.2011

    We know, you've seen an awful lot of Zuckerberg and crew here lately, and the Facebook news just keeps rolling in. This time the social networking giant is doing some sharing of a different sort by offering public access to the specifications and best practices behind its new, more efficient data center in Prineville, Oregon. According to the company, the center, built in collaboration with AMD, Dell, HP, and Intel, has boosted energy efficiency by 38 percent while lowering cost by 24 percent. The information now available through the Open Compute Project includes technical specs and mechanical CAD files for everything from servers to building design. Basically, if you want to erect your own multi-million dollar Facebook-style data center, you've got the go ahead. Full PR after the break.