The Open Compute Project is an initiative started by Facebook to open up computer hardware, especially server and networking systems, to companies that aren’t giant tech vendors. This effort was meant to mirror the open-source movement in the software world. Since then, OCP has grown in both membership and mindshare and has produced standards that are creeping into the tech industry as a whole.

To help understand OCP and Facebook’s goals, Jeff Frick and Stu Miniman, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, spoke to John Furrier, of SiliconANGLE Media and theCUBE, at the OCP U.S. Summit 2016 conference.

Supporting the customer

The discussion started with a look at the conference itself, along with OCP. Miniman pointed out that Facebook was at the event to encourage more companies to come on board, because the social networking giant needed them for infrastructure support. That’s why, he said, a lot of companies were there; customers were turning toward OCP standards, and the businesses had to know OCP to support those customers.

Furrier mentioned that Facebook was stepping back from running the whole affair, trying to avoid being a landgrabber. He saw Facebook’s method as donate, step back, and open things up to the industry. “Would it work?” he asked.

Building pressure

Furrier then explained what he felt was Facebook’s real goal: using OCP to put pressure on other hardware companies, especially Cisco Systems, Inc., in order to speed up development or open up its technology. Miniman replied that Cisco was very much aware of the open-source movement and OCP, even if the company wasn’t into it. Cisco could see these open technologies eating at the edges of what its does, he said.

Facebook isn’t going to wait for others to innovate, Furrier said. The company is putting pressure on companies who are going slow, he continued, and Cisco is one of them. “That’s my take,” he said, “And it’s working.”

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of OCP U.S. Summit 2016.

Photo by SiliconANGLE