Open source data centers in the wings

The Open Source Data Center Initiative was launched last week with the idea of applying open-source ideas to the design and construction of data centers.

The data center industry is "dominated by a handful of large engineering houses" that are wedded to mechanical and engineering designs that are "largely considered proprietary," said Michael Manos, who used to run Microsoft's global data center operations and is advising the initiative. Those companies don't have enough incentive to educate their customers about simpler, more standardized alternatives, he told the New York Times.

"When you think of all the great things we've been talking about at data-center conferences, about moving to greener designs and driving efficiency with new technologies--a lot of that innovation is being held back because competition for those ideas is not out there," Manos added.

The details are still being worked out, according to Manos, but the idea is to give smaller engineering firms access to a pool of engineering resources that could help them compete for business with more established players.

And the concept of open source data centers is one likely to take off quickly.

For more on open source data centers:
- see this New York Times article

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