a16z Podcast a16z Podcast: Datacenter of the Future
Jun 18, 2014
Transforming the often-overlooked world of data centers is at the forefront of discussion. Exciting advancements led by tech giants like Facebook and Google are reshaping infrastructure with software-defined networking. The conversation dives into the evolution of commodity hardware and the rise of efficient containerized applications. As they critique major cloud providers, transformative open-source business models are also explored, showing the potential for innovative service-based strategies. Buckle up for a futurist view where datacenters aren't just boxes—they're the engines of tomorrow!
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Mobile Is Rewriting Data Center Design
- The mobile revolution is driving a software-led transformation of data centers to handle massive users and IoT devices.
- Data centers must scale-out with commodity hardware plus sophisticated software to meet mobile-driven demand.
Software Unlocks Commodity Hardware Value
- Facebook and Google pushed data-center innovation by building software stacks on commodity hardware at massive scale.
- This approach replaces proprietary appliances with cheap components orchestrated by software.
Data Centers Are Like Connected Smartphones
- Modern data centers resemble a billion connected smartphones in components and constraints.
- Power and cooling are the scarcest resources, so mobile-grade components and ARM architectures matter.