Steve Tuck, Co-Founder & CEO of Oxide Computer Company, talks about making computers cloud-friendly, their own switch, demand for on-prem cloud-capable computers, and Oxide's approach to technology adoption.
Oxide Computer Company aims to deliver cloud-like capabilities to on-premises infrastructure, bridging the gap between public cloud and owned infrastructure in large enterprises.
Oxide's on-premises infrastructure offers greater agility, cost efficiency, familiar tools, and reduced operational overhead for large enterprises.
Deep dives
Oxide Computer Company's Journey: Bringing Cloud Capabilities to On-Premises Infrastructure
Oxide Computer Company, led by CEO Steve Tuck, aims to deliver cloud-like capabilities to on-premises infrastructure. Their goal is to provide large enterprises with access to the benefits of cloud computing while still maintaining their own data centers. By rethinking the design of modern computers through the lens of cloud computing, Oxide is building a new kind of computing infrastructure that enables fully programmable on-premises systems. They emphasize the need for a different computing architecture that can support the characteristics of cloud computing, allowing for scalable, flexible, and software-defined infrastructure. By providing a rack-level computer system with a built-in operating system, hypervisor, and control plane, Oxide aims to simplify the deployment and management of on-premises infrastructure for large enterprises. They also address the challenges of outdated enterprise technologies and the limitations of traditional data center solutions. While cloud computing offers many advantages, owning and operating infrastructure remains crucial for certain workloads due to latency requirements, cost considerations, security concerns, and regulatory compliance. Oxide's approach seeks to bridge the gap between public cloud and on-premises infrastructure, empowering organizations to decide when to use rented services from cloud providers and when to own and operate their own infrastructure.
The Benefits of Oxide's Cloud-Like On-Premises Infrastructure
Oxide's on-premises infrastructure offers several advantages to large enterprises. Firstly, it enables developers to provision instances in seconds and pay only for what they use, similar to the experience of public cloud services. This delivers greater agility and cost efficiency for on-premises workloads. Secondly, Oxide's infrastructure allows developers to leverage familiar tools, such as Terraform scripts, and use similar developer workflows to those in public cloud environments. This streamlines operations and enhances productivity across the organization. Moreover, Oxide emphasizes the importance of reducing operational overhead for on-premises infrastructure. By incorporating cloud-inspired automation, observability, and low-latency networking, Oxide's solution aims to provide easier and more efficient management of on-premises systems, minimizing the need for extensive manual maintenance and troubleshooting. Overall, Oxide's cloud-like on-premises infrastructure seeks to offer improved performance, reduced complexity, and greater consistency in delivering infrastructure services.
Oxide's Approach to Designing and Building Computer Systems
Oxide's product is a rack-level computer system that combines their server sled systems with their own built-in oxide switches. By designing the entire system from the ground up, Oxide ensures optimal performance, power efficiency, and density. They leverage their expertise in cloud computing and take inspiration from hyperscale data center designs. Their goal is to provide large enterprises with an infrastructure solution that delivers the same level of flexibility and programmability as public cloud environments. Oxide tackles key areas of innovation, including the development of their own firmware in the Rust programming language, enabling greater control, security, and observability. They prioritize simplicity and ease of use, allowing customers to roll in their systems into existing data centers and seamlessly integrate them into their infrastructure stack without the need for extensive retrofitting or overhauling of their facilities. Through a vertically integrated approach and leveraging advancements in silicon and software, Oxide aims to deliver an advanced and cohesive computing system to meet the needs of modern enterprises.
Oxide's Progress and Future Roadmap
Oxide has made significant progress in realizing their vision, as evidenced by their upcoming first commercial shipments and the support of key customers, including a federal government department and a leading Wall Street firm. They have successfully raised a Series A funding round, generating renewed interest and confidence in their product. With the additional capital, Oxide plans to scale up their operations and continue their journey of reinventing on-premises infrastructure. They are committed to delivering long-term value to their customers, offering a viable solution for large enterprises that rely on on-premises infrastructure for a variety of reasons, including latency, cost, security, and compliance requirements. They will continue to innovate and expand their product line, exploring new architectures beyond x86, while emphasizing the importance of meeting the diverse needs of customers in the hybrid cloud era.
Steve Tuck, Co-Founder & CEO of Oxide Computer Company, joins Corey on Screaming in the Cloud to discuss his work to make modern computers cloud-friendly. Steve describes what it was like going through early investment rounds, and the difficult but important decision he and his co-founder made to build their own switch. Corey and Steve discuss the demand for on-prem computers that are built for cloud capability, and Steve reveals how Oxide approaches their product builds to ensure the masses can adopt their technology wherever they are.
About Steve
Steve is the Co-founder & CEO of Oxide Computer Company. He previously was President & COO of Joyent, a cloud computing company acquired by Samsung. Before that, he spent 10 years at Dell in a number of different roles.