Meta Tech Podcast 80: Lowering emissions with the Open Compute Project
Nov 14, 2025
Dharmesh J. (DJ), an infrastructure engineer at Meta, shares insights on the Open Compute Project's mission for sustainable networking. He discusses how AI improves carbon modeling and emphasizes the importance of standardizing emissions tracking. DJ also highlights innovative projects like liquid cooling and semiconductor sustainability. Lisa joins him to explore balancing infrastructure growth with eco-friendly strategies and the complexities of hardware reuse, showcasing how openness in hardware can lead to transformative changes in reducing carbon footprints.
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OCP's Broad Industry Reach
- The Open Compute Project started in 2011 to democratize data center hardware design and has run for 14 years.
- It expanded from server designs to 12 top-level projects including networking, storage, cooling, and sustainability.
Scale Drives Standardization
- Meta's infrastructure scale grew by orders of magnitude, forcing standardization.
- At hyperscale, bespoke designs don't scale; standards enable global deployment and servicing.
Prefer Open Hardware For Noncore Tech
- Choose open hardware for non-differentiating technologies to enable scalability and standard servicing.
- Use openness strategically when standardization delivers deployment and operational advantages.