OCP DC-MHS Data Centre Modular Hardware System Explained

OCP DC-MHS

OCP Investigates the Data Centre Modular Hardware System(DC-MHS). New, more complete data Centre solutions with unified systems management are made possible by the Open Compute Project partnership.

Executive Synopsis

In order to help standardize the server hardware “blocks” required for applications like artificial intelligence and edge deployments, the Open Compute Project (OCP) is a cross-industry initiative.

In order to do this, Intel and other significant technology firms, such as cloud providers, hardware manufacturers, and OEMs, developed new guidelines and standards for the Data Centre Secure Control Module (DC-SCM) and the Data Centre Modular Hardware System (DC-MHS). Although DC-SCM functions under the Open Compute Hardware Management Project, it is a member of the DC-MHS modularity family. The modular computing method can minimize waste, save hardware costs, increase data Centre energy efficiency, and simplify systems management.

What is DC-MHS?

The Open Compute Project (OCP) created the server architecture known as DC-MHS (Data Centre Modular Hardware System), which encourages modular, scalable, and interoperable data centre designs as an alternative to conventional monolithic methods.

Generational transfer is made easier by innovative MHS architecture

The Open Compute Project (OCP) created the Data Centre Modular Hardware System standard, also referred to as DC-MHS or occasionally Server/MHS. It seeks to replace conventional monolithic server architectures with modular solutions that are more adaptable and effective. This design minimizes waste and energy consumption by reducing the need for extra components. Through precise scalability and more effective use of hardware resources, DC-MHS simplifies the generational shift and drastically lowers the carbon impact. Additionally, the DC-MHS architecture prolongs the life of servers, lowering the environmental effect of hardware manufacturing and disposal.

Challenge

The data Centre is under more pressure than ever before. Businesses implementing increasingly intricate and resource-demanding tasks, such as edge computing and machine learning (ML), need to optimize their system hardware and software for hyperscale efficiency. However, not all customer’s needs can be met by a single server solution. Better consistency between many components, including unified management, is necessary for modern enterprises.

In order to standardise their goods, streamline client technology solutions, and launch such systems as soon as feasible, technology providers must coordinate. Businesses also require strategies to extend the life of their technological assets in order to reduce expenses.

Customers can benefit from increased computing density and environmentally responsible business operations by upgrading components of the current server infrastructure. The Open Compute Project creates a safe environment for industry participants to operate together, resulting in a flexible and varied supply chain.

Solution

All of these problems might be resolved at once with modular computing solutions, such as servers using Intel Xeon CPUs. Intel spearheaded the OCP DC-MHS program to promote scalability, sustainability, and security throughout the data centre, with assistance from a number of IT firms, including AMD, Dell, Google, HPE, Jabil, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Ampere Technology, among others. Through their commitment to a collaborative specification that supports a modular design philosophy, these technology providers may assist clients in future-proofing their platform investments.

By distributing that investment among several technology providers, the strategy also lowers the expenses associated with development, integration, and validation. By offering a more uniform management interface and form factors across building blocks, DC-MHS initiatives will facilitate more interoperability between data Centre and edge-based deployments. Additionally, consumers may adopt greener and more energy-efficient infrastructure more quickly with the support of standards-based solutions that are soon to hit the market.

The OCP DC-MHS specification can assist decrease waste and provide businesses with a way to expand the size and performance of their data centers while using less electricity because server components can be recycled or reused.

Results

Between 2010 and 2018, Intel contributed to a 20 percent annual reduction in the energy needed for data centers globally, despite a 550 percent increase in compute instances and an only 6% increase in electricity consumption. By providing solutions that increase compute density in an ecologically responsible manner, the cross-industry DC-MHS standard will continue that trend into the future. In comparison to a non-modular approach, Intel’s modular component connections and rightsizing of each component resulted in a 27% reduction in the carbon footprint of a reference system.

Important Takeaways

• New, more complete data Centre solutions with unified systems administration are made possible by the joint OCP DC-MHS program.

• Modular data Centre solutions that have been shown to work can help businesses scale and increase compute capacity while spending less on infrastructure.

• Businesses can decrease waste and their carbon impact by using modular components, which can be recycled or reused.