IBM and Intel on Thursday will announce what they're calling the first "open" server system by providing open access to the design specifications of the IBM BladeCenter system created by the two companies.
By providing access to the specifications, third-party hardware and software providers will be able to more easily create BladeCenter-compatible products, which will help accelerate growth of the already-fast-growing segment of the server market, says Jeff Benck, VP of the BladeCenter product line for IBM.
"We think this is going to change the shape of the industry, as we work at the forefront of the server space with an emerging technology where we can set the industry agenda," Benck says.
Krish Ramakrishnan, president and CEO of Topspin Communications Inc., a manufacturer of server-virtualization products, says the opening of the BladeCenter specification can help create a whole new market for server-blade products and services.
"In the automotive industry, there's a huge aftermarket, and this is the equivalent," he says. "By opening up the specification and making it royalty-free, it makes it very easy to do business and create products around the platform. They money we would have spent with lawyers we can now invest in our product."
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