Red Hat has moved a little closer to being able to support ARM-based servers by kicking off a new partner program for 64-bit ARM data center vendors.

Called the Red Hat ARM Partner Early Access Program, it’s open to both server builders and chip makers. So far, early members include AMD, AppliedMicro, American Megatrends, Broadcom, Cavium, Dell, HP, Linaro and, of course, ARM Holdings.

One of the main aims is to provide partners with early access to Red Hat’s 64-bit ARM software. Collaboration on standardized server software and app development platforms capable of supporting multiple hardware designs is another key goal.

“By providing our partners with the tools, resources and support needed to build a common development platform, we can help facilitate partner-drive 64-bit ARM solutions that are based upon Red Hat technologies,” said Red Hat’s VP of platform business Jim Totton.

The idea of replacing traditional servers with energy-friendly ARM-based architecture has been tossed around for some years already, but it’s only now with the maturation of ARMv8 architecture that the idea seems ready to catch on. Indeed, as recently as last December, Calxeda’s former chief marketer Karl Freund told The Register that large software vendors were to blame for that company’s collapse, as they refused to back its 32-bit ARM designs. However with 64-bit ARMv8-A hardware it should be a little easier to port existing software, which is most likely why Red Hat is so keen on the idea all of a sudden.

As for hardware makers, ARM has a few selling points. As well as its admirable energy-efficiency performance, ARM processor cores are free to license, and manufacturers can add on any components they wish, which means a wider range of components for OEMs to choose. But this also causes a stumbling block, because numerous ARM system-on-chips (SOCs) have been found to be incompatible because of this, which means software makers are forced to tweak the code for their products for each platform. This has led to fragmentation in the eco-system that’s difficult for open-source projects to support.

To remedy this, ARM has proposed standards for interoperability with 64-bit ARM server SOCs. Red Hat was one of the firms involved in building this standardized spec, and so it’s own program will likely be based on this.

Aside from this, Red Hat’s program will also look to build developer tools and documentation based upon these new standards that can support ARM server hardware now and in the future.

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