Facebook is going to release ‘own’ network switch together with OEM

Facebook is going to release a network switch together with the Taiwanese OEM Accton Technologies. The Wedge’s hardware design is open source, as is the software. In addition, Facebook will release the design for a customized server through the Open Compute Project.

Facebook uses the Wedge, a top-of-rack switch, in its own data centers. The network switch should be made available to third parties in the first half of this year, PC World reports. For this, Facebook has teamed up with the Taiwanese OEM Accton Technologies. In addition, Facebook has posted software for the switch on GitHub, although companies can also purchase pre-built software from Cumulus Networks and Big Switch Networks.

The design of the Wedge is open source and Facebook says it does not want to monetize the sale of the Switch. In addition, the design is freely available through the Open Compute Project. Facebook started this to have relatively cheap hardware built from OEMs based on standardized hardware.

Facebook will soon also publish its own server design called Yosemite as part of the Open Compute Project. Instead of two CPU sockets, this design contains four sockets. For this, the social networking giant has teamed up with Intel. The system uses Intel Xeon D-1500 processors.

With the OCP program, Facebook says it has saved about $2 billion in the past three years, about 1.88 billion euros. Large IT companies in particular benefit from the open source hardware, as they often have direct ties to OEMs in China and Taiwan.