The right infrastructure is the foundation that enables clients to deliver on the promise of cloud computing.
As big data reshapes global commerce, many companies are looking to
new, highly customized IT platforms to gain business advantage. High
levels of customization and speedy development cycles are the hallmarks
for cloud developers, who are increasingly pushing the limits of what
current, off-the-shelf components allow.
Yesterday, IBM, Google, Mellanox, NVIDIA and Tyan announced plans to form the OpenPOWER Consortium – an open development alliance based on IBM's POWER microprocessor architecture. This groundbreaking collaboration is the core of a broad-based effort designed to greatly expand the technology choices available to modern IT developers and thus bring innovation to clients through a new, open ecosystem on POWER technology.
Open and collaborative development is the future of cloud innovation
OpenPOWER will be based on Linux open-source software and will for the first time provide licensees with the ability to customize POWER microprocessors, firmware and software to create their own unique servers, networking, I/0 and storage systems.
The POWER architecture, when paired with the resources and technology
from the OpenPOWER members, will bring a new set of technical
capabilities to allow systems developers to create more powerful,
scalable and energy-efficient technology for next-generation cloud data
centers.
With the OpenPower licensing model, IBM is essentially providing new
R&D groups like the OpenStack foundation with their own chip
technology. Developers now have access to an expanded and open set of
server technologies for the first time. This type of collaborative development model
stands to change the way data center hardware is designed and deployed.
IT vendors have traditionally maintained closed and often proprietary
R&D operations and offer customers essentially the same generic
commodity that is difficult to re-engineer in the hopes of gaining
meaningful competitive advantage. OpenPOWER will allow customization at a
level never before seen in servers.
Why is this important to you?
Open technologies are a major catalyst for innovation and for making
our planet smarter. Intelligence is being infused into the way the world
literally works—into the systems, processes and infrastructure that
enable physical goods to be developed, manufactured, bought and sold;
that allow services to be delivered; that facilitate the movement of
everything from money and oil to water and electrons. Ultimately, this
will help to improve how billions of people work and live. Only through
open standards and platforms can enterprises support an expanding
universe of heterogeneous data, devices and services, and engage in
today’s rich innovation ecosystems.
The OpenPOWER Consortium will provide open-source hardware, software,
firmware and tools to allow developers to harness the full performance
of IBM’s POWER microprocessor architecture. By opening up to developers
the firmware connections that control basic chip functions, IBM and the
Consortium can offer unprecedented flexibility in creating new styles of
server hardware to fit specific needs, resulting in innovation that can
benefit an entire segment of our industry, such as cloud computing.
Clients can leverage this innovation to anticipate new customer
preferences, outpace competitors’ actions and respond to dynamic events
in their market landscape.
IBM is an innovation company and has a long-term commitment to open
technologies. We have invested considerable financial, technical and
marketing resources to foster the growth, development and use of open
technologies. In fact, our commitment to open and collaborative
technologies is the driver of how we deliver Smarter Computing technologies to our clients. We are reinforcing this commitment with yesterday’s announcement, covered in the Wall Street Journal, which once again demonstrates IBM’s leadership in world class technology collaborating with industry leaders to deliver innovation that matters.
By: Paulo Carvao
Link: http://www.smartercomputingblog.com/power-systems/openpower-consortium/?sf15904024=1
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