Premday #3 - Collaborate with vendors to co-design HW solutions on ORv3

Scaleway presents how they collaborate with hardware vendors to co-design HW solutions on OCP ORv3

Transcript

1. 1 Collaborate with vendors to co-design HW solutions on ORv3 PREMDAY 26 Elyès ZEKRI Hardware Expertise Team lead
2. 2 Who is Scaleway? Championing European Values Full service growing European CSP Thousands of GPUs 100,000s Servers in multiple Sovereign & Sustainable Data Centers Super-Computers to power future AI & HPC +120 IaaS, PaaS, Public Cloud & AI Products Fast growing with clear focus on open-source 2
3. 3 • Open Hardware and Firmware Systems Scaleway ◦ Projects, challenges, wins, road ahead • Focus on Collaboration with Vendors ◦ Our first recipe, improvements ◦ Cookbook for a successful collaboration • Going further Content
4. 4 • Open Hardware and Firmware Systems Scaleway ◦ Projects, challenges, wins, road ahead • Focus on Collaboration with Vendors ◦ Our first recipe, improvements ◦ Cookbook for a successful collaboration • Going further Content
5. 5 OCP Open Rack v3 ORv3 • Optimized power and cooling efficiency • Optimized assembly and serviceability • Improved modularity & reusability OpenBMC • Native Redfish support • Secure by design • Strong open ecosystem Open Hardware & Firmware Systems @Scaleway Current projects
6. 6 Open Hardware & Firmware Systems @Scaleway Challenges Supply chain maturity • No ORv3 HW available off-the-shelf • Lack of parts availability Operational friction points • HW assembly • FW integration • DC readiness HW/FW qualification & bring-up complexity • Prototype samples • Early OpenBMC not production-ready Tight collaboration with vendors (co-design, testing, issue reporting) Encountered challenges Our answers Rapid in-house skill development and adaptation
7. 7 Open Hardware & Firmware Systems @Scaleway 💰 Lower cost vs competitors 🚀 ORv3 Epyc 4005-based offer victim of its own success ⚡ Fast internal Engineering teams adoption of OpenBMC Early wins
8. 8 Open Hardware & Firmware Systems @Scaleway Road ahead Hardware Handle ORv3 / legacy 19ˮ form-factor coexistence Firmware Handle Open Firmware / legacy Firmware coexistence Standards Constant evolution Cost Important cost (customization, NRE, etc) Streamline solutions as much as possible to reduce complexity HW/FW modular design, SKUs re-use) Stay aligned with evolving standards Collaborate with companies sharing similar challenges to combine co-design effort and accelerate delivery Upcoming challenges Possible answers Develop in-house expertise
9. 9 • Open Hardware and Firmware Systems Scaleway ◦ Projects, challenges, wins, road ahead • Focus on Collaboration with Vendors ◦ Our first recipe, improvements ◦ Cookbook for a successful collaboration • Going further Content
10. 10 Focus on Collaboration with Vendors Our first recipe Technical needs expression • HW features ◦ Specific CPU socket ◦ Multi-node chassis ◦ 2OU FF or more for cooling efficiency ◦ Front panel maintenance ◦ SKU reusability • FW features ◦ OpenBMC-ready ◦ Specific BMC/UEFI settings Hardware qualification • Execute test plan • Shared bug tracker → improved issue traceability • Daily collaboration with R&D vendor teams HW/FW ⚠ Early prototypes = higher qualification effort than mass-prod samples Issue reporting and specs adjustment loop Get prototype samples early (DVTEVTPVT→mass-prod)
11. 11 Focus on Collaboration with Vendors Improve specifications • Define HW/FW specs accurately upfront • Result: less rework, faster solution maturity • …but stay open/listen to vendor proposals and feedback Address Supply chain and maintenance topics early • Lead time • Support model RMA, 3rd party components, ...) • Spare warehouse location Always room for improvement
12. 12 Cookbook for a Successful Collaboration ORv3/OpenBMC solutions Evaluate and challenge solutions Understand partner needs and constraints Engage the right resources to maximize the collaboration Maintenance considerations and parts availability Define clear requirements & specifications
13. 13 • Open Hardware and Firmware Systems Scaleway ◦ Projects, challenges, wins, road ahead • Focus on Collaboration with Vendors ◦ Our first recipe, improvements ◦ Cookbook for a successful collaboration • Going further Content
14. 14 Going further • Cross-industry collaboration ◦ Engage with companies facing similar challenges to share effort and maximize impact ◦ Challenge: how do we align when some technical requirements may diverge? ◦ Rely on Premday to centralize needs and unlock collective solutions • Build in-house OpenFW expertise ◦ In-house autonomy: FW customization, CVE mitigation, etc. ◦ Challenge: how could infrastructure owners attract server FW engineers (typically drawn to manufacturers) ? ◦ Solution: emphasize field-driven FW use cases related on-prem operators increasingly face
15. Thank you !