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Facebook Launches Open Compute Project [RECAP]


Facebook is buzzing as it prepares to launch a "new technology initiative" with a group of partners from some of the world's largest companies.

We're here live at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, California, for a press event. Executives from DreamWorks, VMWare, Fidelity, Delta, Dell, Apple and a sea of other companies are here for today's launch.

We're not entirely sure what Facebook will be launching today. We do have a few clues, though. There is a giant server rack in the center of the room, so it's more likely an announcement about computing technology rather than product. The second clue is a tweet from Facebook asking people to tune in for the launch of "a new technology initiative."

We're about to find out what's on Facebook's agenda.

UPDATE: Facebook launched a cloud computing initiative called "Open Compute Project." Details below in the live notes.

Here is a live video feed of today's event, along with my constantly updated notes:

Live Video: Facebook's Technology Initiative Launch

Facebook's Technology Event: Live Notes

All times are in Pacific Time

9:59 a.m.: They are still making everybody wait outside of Faecbook's offices. It's a sea of press and technology companies.

10:10: We're all getting settled. There's a giant server rack in the middle of the room. It must have something to do with computing.

10:15: Today's event is about a cloud computing initiative. I've figured that out by the titles of the execs that are here for today's launch. Also, the hashtag is #OpenCompute.

10:18: Mark Zuckerberg has taken the stage. It's called the "Open Compute Project."

10:19: Zuckerberg is talking about building more efficient servers. "We've found there are a lot of similar hardware designs" for social products, he says.

10:21: There are different ways to design data centers. You can build them yourselves, or you can get the stuff mass manufacturers are making. Zuckerberg has focused on custom hardware for social apps.

10:22: Facebook wants to share all of that progress with the industry. Joint collaboration for developing the hardware that powers social.

10:24: Facebook's VP of technical operations Jonathan Heiliger has taken the stage. He's explaining how it designed its first data center. The company's goal is to have the most efficient computing with the best economics possible.

10:27: Facebook is explaining the concept of PUE. It's an efficiency metric for data centers. It's the ratio of how much power goes towards actual computing/servers and the power that goes towards running the building and support structure for the data centers. While the industry standard is about 1.5, Facebook's Prineville data center is 1.07.

10:29: Facebook is sharing the specifications and design documents that went into all of the hardware technology behind Facebook's data centers. It includes Server Chassis, motherboards, battery technology and electrical and mechanical technology. Facebook says that these technologies have made its servers 38% more energy efficient and reduced costs by 24%.

10:30: Jay Park, director of Data Center Design, has taken the stage. He is diving deeper into some of the technology behind its data centers. In typical data centers, there is 11% to 17% power distribution loss, but Facebook's Prineville servers only lose 2%, making them far more efficient. This is done by removing redundant systems and single points of failure, increasing the reliability of the company's servers as well.

10:35: Park's explaining the finer points of managing an efficient data center. He's specifically talking about how to manage the heat generated from the servers. The highlights: First, it uses 480 volt electrical distribution system, providing 277 volts directly to each server. Second, Facebook has localized uninterrupted power supply each serving six racks of servers. Third, Facebook uses a Ductless evaporating cooling system — there are no heaters or air conditioners in its Prineville data center.

10:39: Facebook is now discussing the design of the chassis, the actual individual servers. Facebook designed a custom Intel motherboard, removed unnecessary parts like screws and expansion slots. The result is that its power efficiency exceeds 94.5%.

10:44: Facebook is playing a promotional video for its new Open Cloud Project. You can check it out at the project's new website.

10:50: Now there is a panel on stage, moderated by GigaOmM's Om Malik. The panel includes Intel, Dell, Zynga, the U.S. Department of Energy, Facebook and Rackspace.

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