As the Open Compute Project (OCP) Networking event began today in San Jose, CA, Jeff Frick and Stu Miniman, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, conveyed the excitement surrounding the news and players that are part of the project.

According to OCP, this is a collaborative community focused on redesigning hardware technology to efficiently support the growing demands on compute infrastructure.

Where is the cloud?

Frick opened the show by saying, “This is where the cloud is … These are the big computers, big iron and the big servers that are running and actually create the cloud in which all the applications, infrastructure, mobile, social and the Big Data all run on. Without OCP and the infrastructure, there is no cloud.”

Server huggers and geeks are welcome

While all the new technology is cool to see, servers are generally not a hot topic. Mentioning the lack of “server huggers” at many of the shows he attends, Miniman said, “We are talking about distributed systems, disaggregation of hardware and software, and really what’s happening in hyperscale environments. I’m proud to be a server hugger.”

The Facebook exhibit has been swamped with visitors who want to see creative and interesting things that drive efficiencies and economics higher, according to Miniman. And Facebook said that it has saved several billions of dollars in efficiencies and costs in the five years it has participated in the Open Compute Project.

“If you like to geek out, this is the place to be,” Frick said. “All the major players are here.”

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