This week’s Smart Infrastructure roundup features a powerful new server, and a growing group of tech giants collaborating to improve data centers.

IBM’s new Power Systems servers

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At a recent industry event, IBM revealed a shift in its server business strategy to help the data center operate smarter and more efficiently.  Spending roughly $2.4 billion in the last three years, IBM’s new Power Systems built using Power8 processors promises 1,000 times faster than the company’s previous servers.  The servers don’t run on Intel’s motherboards, rather they are open-sourced “white box servers,” which IBM claims will make it easier to handle data from the likes of NoSQL and Hadoop.

IBM is focusing on making its servers more attractive to Linux users, which has become an operating system of choice in data centers.  Currently, data centers make use of servers with chips from either Intel or AMD, and Big Blue wants to break that barrier as well as boost its server sales which fell 31 percent last year.

One of the benefits Power Systems servers boast of is what the company calls Smart Computing.  IBM describes Smart Computing as an infrastructure that opens more opportunities for a smarter planet as it leverages the cloud to speed time to market and improve efficiency.  It unlocks the power of big data to deliver more actionable insight as well as secure critical information to reduce risk and help businesses enhance their compliance policies.

The servers will be available starting June with a price tag of $2,000 per server for the basic model.

OpenPower Foundation gains new allies, first project

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Along with IBM’s announcement of new Power Systems servers, the company announced that it has open sourced the technology for its Power microprocessors, meaning others can now modify and manufacture Power-based designs according to how they see fit.

This open initiative falls under the OpenPower Foundation, created last year.  The foundation now has two dozen members including Google, Samsung, Nvidia, Mellanox and Tyan.

One of the consortium’s first projects will be working on will be server computers on IBM’s Power8 chip to improve data center infrastructure.

“There’s a big shift in data, and more and more we are heading to an open, collaborative world,” IBM Power Systems chief Doug Balog said. “When I took over the unit in July of last year, there was a strong belief that we could do things a lot by ourselves. But the reality is that open collaboration is where new ideas are being developed.”

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