Hardware Podcasts

An Interview with Rick Altherr

The Amp Hour · 29 Aug 2017 · 1h 38m · Episode 357

What this episode covers

Rick Altherr, a firmware and software designer at Google, discusses the Open Compute Project and the design of hyperscale server technologies like the Zaius machine and Open Rack V2. He explains the shift from traditional 1U rack units to open, airflow-optimized designs that eliminate unnecessary plastics and panels to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The conversation covers the technical challenges of managing massive data centers, including 48-volt power distribution, point-of-load conversion, and advanced cooling strategies like chilled water heat exchangers. Altherr also details the software stack, including Kubernetes and OpenStack, which manage cluster-level resource allocation and self-healing architectures in environments where hardware failure is a constant statistical reality.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Google, IBM, Intersil, Facebook, Microsoft, Rackspace
Products
Zaius, Open Rack V2, Project Olympus
Chips
Power9
Also
Open Compute Project, Kubernetes, OpenStack, OpenBMC, IPMI

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