Facebook引领数据中心开源革命

    Facebook之所以出名，不是因为设计了什么硬件，而是因为它创建了世界上最受欢迎的社交网络工具。不过现在Facebook推出了一种DIY式的数据中心服务，用来建造公司的数据中心以及服务器和机柜。据Facebook硬件设计与供应链主管弗兰克•弗兰卡夫斯基介绍，Facebook数据中心的效率要比业内平均水平高出38%，价格也比平均水平低24%。

    为了进一步降低成本，Facebook甚至把它的设计进行了“开源”处理，任何人都可以复制Facebook的设计，也可以为现有设计贡献自己的思路。眼下企业界大多数人的目光都聚焦在Facebook即将举行的IPO上，不过就在上周，Facebook举办了一场“开放计算工程”大会。“开放计算工程”（Open Compute Project）是一个由Facebook牵头的联合工程，参与者包括惠普（HP）、戴尔（Dell）和超微半导体（AMD）这样的IT巨头。我们在大会间隙采访了弗兰卡斯基，请他介绍了Facebook开源战略的更多细节，以及开放计算工程的下一步打算。

《财富》：你们为什么要发起开放计算工程？

弗兰卡夫斯基：我们设计并构建第一个数据中心的时候，我们甚至超过了自己制定的一些内部目标。然后我们马上想到，如果不把它进行分享，那就太不近人情了，因为我们都从开源软件里获得了很多好处——比如我们的业务所依托的基础架构软件。正因为有了它，我们的软件工程师才可以每天都把精力放在创新上，关注如何进一步密切世界的联系，而不是再去发明一个操作系统。因此我们希望把硬件空间开源，这也是回馈社会的一种方式。此外，没有哪一家公司能把业界所有最优秀的头脑集中在同一个屋檐下。通过开源，可以让业界最好的头脑一起专注同一件事。可以得到很多好的创意，加快创新的步伐。

许多公司都反对标准化和商品化。传统供应商对开放计算工程的反应如何？

    虽然他们一开始的回应可能是抗拒，但它们都是很出色的创新企业，他们也知道，在某些时候，为了保持竞争力，获得成功，必须彻底改造自己。

    Facebook is known for creating the most popular social networking tool, not designing hardware. But the company has taken a do-it-yourself approach to building out its data centers and the servers and racks that fill them. The result? Data centers that are 38% more efficient and 24% cheaper than average, according to Frank Frankovsky, director of hardware design and supply chain at Facebook.

    In the hopes of driving the cost down further, Facebook has even "open sourced" its designs -- making it possible for anyone to contribute to (and replicate) what its engineers have built. Last week, as most of the business world speculated on the social networking site's upcoming IPO, Facebook held a conference for its Open Compute Project, a consortium that now includes the likes of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Dell (DELL) and AMD (AMD). We caught up with Frankovsky to find out more about Facebook's open source strategy and what's next for the Open Compute Project.

FORTUNE: Why did you start the Open Compute Project?

Frankovsky: When we designed and built our first data center, we exceeded even some of our own internal goals. And we immediately thought it would be unnatural not to share this because we've all benefited so much from open source software – like the infrastructure software we've built our business on. This is why our software engineers can focus on innovation every day, on making the world more connected. We don't need to go and reinvent an operating system. So we thought, let's go and open source the hardware space so that we can give back too. Also, no single company is ever going to have all of the best brainpower in the entire industry under one roof. By open sourcing, you can get the industry's best brainpower focused together. You get a bunch of great ideas, and it accelerates the pace of innovation.

A lot of companies fight standardization and commoditization. How have traditional suppliers reacted to Open Compute?

    While the initial reaction might have been resistance, these are great innovation companies and they know that at some point in order to remain competitive and successful you have to reinvent yourself.