除了你們之外，還有別人在從事數據中心硬件開源的工作嗎？

??? 我們與許多其他項目建立了合作關系，不過我們特別關注的是數據中心的硬件設計。據我所知，目前沒有其他項目著力于這個領域。過去的做法是把所有的牌都緊緊捂在胸前，不與任何人分享。不過開源操作系統Linux的成功以及它對市場的影響啟迪了我和Facebook的所有人，激勵我們去參與這件事。我們希望硬件開源也能產生類似的影響。

你們有沒有哪些技術是不愿意“開源”或與別人分享的？

??? 我們在技術開源的問題上考慮得非常周到。我們分享了數據中心選址的方法。不過我們在分享數據中心模板的時候并沒有包含光纖主要接入點的分享，因為我們認為這是一個安全性問題。我們在這種問題上不會選擇開源，不過那是因為我們需要保護自己以及我們的終端用戶。我們在應用領域的關鍵創新也不會開源，因為正是那些獨特的技術造就了Facebook的獨特地位，同時那也是9億多用戶選擇Facebook的主要原因。英特爾也是開放計算工程的創始成員之一，同時它也是業內知識產權資源最豐富的公司之一。雖然英特爾的工程師們也（為開放計算工程）做出了大量貢獻，但我們并不指望他們會分享他們設計CPU的技術。

你們的設計有一部分實際上簡化甚至取消了數據中心的某些功能，很多人可能對此感到詫異。你能解釋一下嗎？

??? 可能很多人都會覺得在服務器上貼上一堆塑料Logo是一個好點子。不過有時候想把事情做簡單反而很難。人們有時會把事情過度復雜化。一個設計可能看起來非常精美，因為它有各種出色的功能。不過如果后退一步，問問自己怎樣能用最少的部件把事情做好，你就會發現，有時簡單才是最難的部分。拿有些最成功的移動設備來說，當你把它們從包裝盒里拿出來的時候，它們看起來并不像是無所不能的樣子。它只是一塊屏幕加一個按鈕。但是在開機之后，你讓它做什么它就能做什么，這時人們才真正體會到這個設計的美和簡約。但人們看不到他們為了簡化設計所付出的工藝上的努力。

開放計算工程下一步的打算是什么？

??? 吸引我們的方向有很多，其中大多數集中在數據中心和服務器的設計，而且我們的工作已經擴展到了（服務器）機柜上。存儲空間領域有可能升溫，而且我們對網絡設計也有很濃厚的興趣。不過在接下來的六個月里，我們的很多活動都會圍繞著存儲——也就是如何讓開源存儲真正地改變市場。希望它能幫助企業選擇最佳的硬件和軟件。未來隨著云計算趨勢的興起，大型數據中心運營商的數量會有所減少。我們現在已經到了一個拐點，以后一切可能會變得更標準化一些。不過關于未來最令人興奮的是，我們現在可以應用業內最好的腦力，來滿足計算方面最新、最獨特的要求。

譯者：樸成奎

Are there any other efforts out there to open source data center hardware?

??? We have partnerships with a whole bunch of other projects , but we are specifically focused on the hardware design in the data center, and to my knowledge there are no other projects specifically around this. The old method is to keep all your cards close to your chest without sharing. The biggest project that inspired me and all of us at Facebook to get involved is the open source operating system Linux and the impact it had on the market. We want to have a similar impact on hardware.

Are there technologies that you won't "open source" and share with others?

??? We think really, really carefully about what we open source. We've shared how we pick data center sites. But when we open sourced our data center blueprints we didn't include the main point of entry for fiber runs—we felt it was a security issue. So there are some things like that that we don't put out in the open. But that's really because we need to defend ourselves and our end users. The thing we won't open source are the key innovations we have in the application space. Those are the unique things that differentiate Facebook and the reason more than 900 million people come to Facebook. Intel is one of the founding members of the Open Compute Project. It also happens to have one of the richest IP portfolios in the industry. Intel's engineers have made significant contributions [to Open Compute] but we wouldn't expect them to share how they design CPUs.

A lot of people would be surprised to know that some of what you've done with your designs is actually simplifying and taking away capabilities. Can you explain?

??? I don't think anyone would argue that putting a bunch of plastic logos in front of a server is a good idea. But sometimes simple is actually really hard. People sometimes overcomplicate things. When you look at a design it might look really elegant because it's got all kinds of whiz-bang features. But when you step back and ask how you can do this with minimum components, sometimes making it simple is really the hard part. Some of the most successful mobile devices don't look like they do anything when you pull them out of the box; it's a flat screen with just one button. But when you turn it on and it does exactly what you ask it to do, then you really understand the beauty and simplicity of the design. You don't see the engineering efforts that went into making it simple.

So what's next for the Open Compute Project?

??? We're getting a lot of traction. Most of it is in data center and server design, and we've extended it to [server] racks. The storage space is something you'll see heat up, and there's also a lot of interest in networking. But a lot of the activity in the coming six months is going to be around storage—how open source storage really changes the market. Hopefully it will let companies choose the best of breed from both hardware and software. In the future there will be a smaller number of larger data center operators because of the trend towards cloud computing. We've reached an inflection point where things can get a little more standardized. What's exciting about the future is that we can now apply the brain power to new and unique requirements in computing.