Data centres have been regarded as the heart of the digital economy for years, but today they are beating faster and louder – literally and figuratively. Rising energy bills, the need to scale and regulatory pressures mean that classic server architectures are beginning to choke under their own weight.
It is increasingly difficult to ignore the question: does closed infrastructure still have a future?
There is already an alternative on the horizon – the Open Compute Project (OCP). It is an initiative that focuses on openness, modularity and independence from a single manufacturer. For some it is an experiment, for others it is the foundation of future IT infrastructure.
OCP – Silicon Valley reinvents the server
OCP’s history dates back to 2011, when Facebook decided to build its own data centre in a radically different way from the existing standards. Instead of buying off-the-shelf solutions from vendors, engineers began designing open, modular hardware – from servers to racks to power systems. The result? Higher efficiency, lower costs and the ability to share specifications with others.
Today, there are more than 200 members – from Microsoft, Google and Intel to banks and cloud operators. Importantly, OCP is not a club of hyperscalers. It is also joined by smaller institutions and solution providers who want to avoid dependence on proprietary ecosystems.
What is the advantage? Standardisation paves the way for innovation. With common specifications, companies can implement new solutions faster, reduce operating costs and choose suppliers without fear of vendor lock-in.
Why are companies betting on open servers?
This is supported by several factors that are difficult to ignore today.
Scalability on demand
OCP is based on a modular design. In practice, this means that companies can expand the infrastructure step by step, without costly downtime or large upfront investments.
2. lower operating costs
Open standards and central power supply reduce both CAPEX and OPEX. In an era of rising energy prices, the difference is noticeable.
3 Energy efficiency
Better airflow, 48V power supply and less redundancy are a simple way to improve PUE – a metric that has become to data centre operators what the 100km burn rate is to car manufacturers.
4. Flexibility in the choice of suppliers
The vendor-independent architecture allows different components to be combined and matched to business workloads rather than a single vendor catalogue.
5. Sustainable development
Replacing modules instead of entire systems reduces e-waste and extends the life cycle of equipment – an increasingly important argument in the ESG era.
6 Simplified management
Open interfaces and unified monitoring tools simplify control and reduce the complexity of daily operations.
In short, OCP is not just a technology. It’s a survival strategy for companies that have to balance digital ambitions with energy bills and the demands of regulators.
Integration – technology is easy, planning is difficult
While the advantages of OCP sound compelling, implementation in existing data centres is not trivial. Most of the current infrastructure was designed at a time when proprietary standards prevailed.
Most common obstacles:
- Power and cooling – OCP servers use 48V buses, while most data centres rely on 230/400V. This requires adaptation of the power infrastructure.
- Rack dimensions – OCP racks differ from classic 19-inch enclosures, which may mean that some of the space has to be converted.
- Network integration – open network topologies require upgrades to existing infrastructure, especially in terms of capacity and redundancy.
- Monitoring and management – OCP uses open APIs and proprietary controllers that need to be integrated with the tools used by IT teams.
- Migration without downtime – replacing infrastructure components in critical environments requires detailed testing and redundancy plans.
The technology is available. Rather, what slows down implementations are organisational issues and the lack of a coherent migration strategy.
Companies that successfully transition to OCP tend to opt for an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach.
- Pilots and hybrid strategies – testing open architecture in selected clusters, e.g. cloud or HPC.
- Modular conversions – phased introduction of OCP-compliant power and cooling systems, rather than a one-off conversion of the entire server room.
- Working with independent partners – experienced integrators can avoid the mistakes that occur when trying to migrate on their own.
- Build competence within the team – investing in knowledge of open hardware standards is the best way to become independent of external suppliers.
This approach spreads costs, minimises risk and prepares the organisation for greater transformation in the future.
Openness as a foundation for digital resilience
The Open Compute Project shows that the data centre revolution does not have to be about the next ‘magic technology’, but about a simple question: should the infrastructure be open or closed?
OCP servers offer real savings, greater flexibility and the chance for sustainability compliance. At the same time, implementation requires knowledge, patience and strategic planning.
For companies that test the open approach today, the benefits are twofold. They gain a modern infrastructure and at the same time resilience to future crises – energy, regulatory or market.
