What are OCP servers? A guide for enterprise IT teams

OCP servers are gaining attention as enterprises look for more flexible and efficient ways to design, build and operate data centre infrastructure. Originally driven by hyperscale operators, OCP-based hardware is increasingly attracting interest from colocation operators and businesses seeking greater control over IT environments at scale.

However, supporting OCP infrastructure can bring different challenges to maintaining conventional OEM systems. In this article, we explain what OCP servers are, how they differ from OEM, ODM and white-box hardware, who uses them and why, and what it takes to maintain them.

 

What are OCP servers?

The Open Compute Project (OCP) is a global community of organizations and individuals which “collaboratively develop” open technologies for data center and IT infrastructure.

Launched by Facebook in 2011, with founding members including Intel, Rackspace and Goldman Sachs, the purpose of OCP is to encourage the sharing of product designs and best practices.

OCP servers are based on open hardware designs developed through the project. As Original Design Manufacturers build servers to these specifications, ODM hardware is closely linked to OCP.

 

How do OCP servers differ from OEM, ODM and white-box hardware?

The terms OEM, ODM and white-box describe who designs, builds and sells a server. OCP defines the design philosophy and specifications behind it. As each describes a different aspect of how a server is designed, built or sourced, the categories can overlap.

OEM vs OCP

Original equipment manufacturers build and sell servers under their own brand. Their hardware has traditionally been proprietary, with closed designs, vendor-specific components and tightly bundled warranty and support.

In contrast, OCP members publish their hardware designs openly so others can reuse, adapt and improve them. This pushes the industry towards standardised, modular infrastructure rather than vendor-locked platforms.

ODM and white-box hardware: how does it fit with OCP?

Original design manufacturers design and build hardware that others sell under their own brand or deploy directly. Meanwhile, white-box hardware is unbranded and can be built from standard, off-the-shelf components by integrators or individuals. An ODM-built server can be OCP-compliant if it is built to OCP specifications.

While white-box servers refer to the physical product and how it is sourced, and OEM/ODM to the company that manufactures it, OCP refers to the design it follows.

While many OEMs and ODMs now sell OCP-aligned products, the underlying designs remain open to the wider community.

What are the key design principles of OCP hardware

OCP hardware is built around a simple idea: share the design, remove unnecessary cost and complexity, and make large estates easier to run. The core characteristics of OCP infrastructure are:

Open, vendor-neutral specifications

OCP specifications are published openly, so any manufacturer can build to them and any buyer can source compatible hardware from multiple suppliers. This reduces vendor lock-in and lets operators and suppliers feed improvements directly back to the community.

Efficiency and power design

OCP designs aim to cut power losses and wasted components. For example, Open Rack, OCP’s best-known rack standard, replaces individual server power supplies with shared power shelves that feed a bus bar running the height of the rack. Stripping out non-essential parts also lowers cost, weight and airflow resistance.

Tool-less, serviceable design

OCP servers are designed for fast, hands-on maintenance. Components are modular and typically accessible from the front (cold-aisle side) of the server rack, with tool-less fittings and minimal fixings.

Rack-level standardization

OCP treats the rack, rather than the individual server, as the unit of design. Open Rack uses a 21-inch equipment bay instead of the traditional 19-inch, leaving more room for components and airflow. Related OCP projects, such as Advanced Cooling Solutions (ACS), extend this standardization to areas like liquid cooling.

Who uses OCP servers?

OCP servers are increasingly used by a widening range of businesses and data center operators. Here are the key markets:

Hyperscalers and cloud providers

The OCP project was founded by the hyperscaler Meta (then Facebook), with cloud provider giants including Microsoft and Google contributing designs and technologies to the OCP project. Hyperscalers can help shape OCP specifications to meet their infrastructure needs, a key advantage when procuring and deploying hardware at scale.

Colocation and enterprise adoption

Colocation providers and enterprises, including financial services firms, have also begun to adopt OCP-based hardware, although more selectively. Drivers of adoption by colocation data center operators and smaller-scale enterprises can include:

• Customer requirements
• Higher performance and efficiency goals
• Specific infrastructure needs
• Lower TCO, passing savings onto colocation customers

In these environments, OCP hardware is often deployed alongside conventional OEM equipment rather than replacing it entirely.

Why is OCP adoption growing?

The increasing adoption of OCP server designs is driven by key factors including:

• Growing AI workloads and energy requirements

AI applications require increasing amounts of computing power, driving up electricity consumption in data centres. OCP’s 48V power distribution designs can help reduce electrical losses and deliver power more efficiently to IT equipment.

• Higher power density and cooling demands

Powerful hardware used for AI and other demanding workloads generates more heat in increasingly dense rack configurations. This can exceed the capabilities of traditional air-cooling systems. OCP’s work on liquid cooling helps remove heat more effectively, supporting high-density computing environments.

Why do hyperscalers choose OCP servers?

Hyperscalers often favor OCP servers for several reasons:

1. Lower costs: Open designs and standardized components help reduce hardware CAPEX and simplify procurement at scale, while efficient power delivery and cooling keep the OPEX of energy use under control.
2. Greater design flexibility and control: Modular, customizable designs allow hyperscalers to adapt server configurations to their workloads and requirements.
3. Supply chain leverage: Because specifications are shared, equivalent hardware can be sourced from several suppliers, which strengthens negotiating power and resilience.
4. Faster, easier servicing: Front access facilitates access for technicians and simplifies maintenance.

 

What are the challenges of running and maintaining OCP infrastructure?

OCP-based infrastructure can offer greater flexibility and efficiency, but it can be more complex to support than conventional OEM systems.

OCP is a set of specifications, not a vendor, so support depends on who built and sold the hardware. Businesses need to plan how they will source parts, maintain service continuity and support the hardware throughout its lifecycle.

Hyperscalers tend to manage this in-house, with their own engineering teams, spares storage and ODM relationships. Colocation providers, enterprises and smaller cloud operators often lack these resources.

Common challenges include:

Challenge	Explanation
Limited OEM support and warranty coverage	Support and warranty terms vary across OCP-based and white-box systems. Depending on the ODM/OEM and configuration, businesses may have fewer options for standardized support, onsite repairs or long-term maintenance once the original warranty expires.
Spare parts sourcing for non-standard components	Customized designs and uncommon components can make replacement parts harder to source. This can increase lead times and prolong downtime when hardware fails.
Skills and process gaps for in-house teams	Supporting OCP infrastructure may require specialized hardware knowledge, diagnostic skills and maintenance procedures that internal teams do not always have.
Managing multi-vendor, multi-site estates at scale	Estates often mix OCP and conventional hardware from several suppliers, each with different SLAs. Coordinating maintenance and service levels across locations, hardware brands and generations adds operational complexity.

These challenges can make it harder to maintain adequate and consistent service levels, control support costs and keep infrastructure available, especially as deployments expand across sites and regions.

How does Third-Party Maintenance support OCP deployments?

Third-party maintenance (TPM) provides an alternative to relying on solely on original hardware suppliers for ongoing support. A vendor-agnostic TPM partner can help operators maintain OCP-based hardware across different OEMs and ODMs, models and sites.

Key benefits include:

• Onsite support and services: Troubleshooting, hardware repair and break/fix support for multi-vendor infrastructures.
• Spare parts logistics: Rapid access to locally-stocked replacement components to help reduce downtime and maintain service continuity.
• Cost and sustainability benefits: Extending asset life through maintenance can keep equipment in operation beyond its original support period, avoiding the CAPEX, environmental costs and operational disruption of premature refreshes.

What can Evernex offer OCP deployments in hyperscale infrastructures?

With 40+ years of industry experience, Evernex provides expert IT hardware maintenance and professional services for complex, distributed data center environments.

Our capabilities include:

• 600+ trained engineers across 160+ countries, supporting complex, distributed infrastructure.
• Multi-OEM and -ODM, multi-model experience to expertly maintain diverse hardware estates.
• 330+ forward stocking locations to support rapid, secure spare-parts delivery.
• Onsite professional services covering installation and deployment, maintenance and troubleshooting, relocations and decommissioning.

Our modular TPM and professional services can be adapted to infrastructure requirements and operational needs, helping hyperscale operators manage OCP-designed server fleets throughout their lifecycle.

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