ARM-based OpenStack: it's like an army of cell phones powering cloud-based computing
RackSpace, HP, Canonical, and other OpenStack members are combining forces to build what they say will be the first-ever ARM processor based cloud. The goal is to build an extremely efficient, powerful …
Context & Ripple Effects
HP had already been reported to be planning ARM-based servers positioned against Intel, while ARM chips were extending from smartphones into network infrastructure. The OpenStack collaboration joins hardware, operating-system, and cloud-service participants around a common deployment target rather than leaving ARM servers as a single-vendor bet.
For RackSpace, HP, and Canonical, an ARM-oriented OpenStack cloud makes software compatibility and operational tooling as important as the processor itself. The story’s broad pickup across infrastructure outlets underscores that the effort is being treated as a meaningful test of ARM’s data-center ambitions.
First-order effects
- RackSpace, HP, Canonical, and other OpenStack members gain a shared path for developing and validating OpenStack on ARM processors, aligning the cloud stack around a lower-power server architecture.
- HP’s earlier ARM-server plan gains an ecosystem partner set, while Canonical can position Ubuntu as an operating-system layer for the resulting cloud deployments.
Second-order effects
- Intel faces a more organized alternative in server infrastructure: ARM hardware suppliers and OpenStack operators can coordinate around a common software environment rather than asking each customer to assemble one independently.
- OpenStack users gain the prospect of choosing processor architecture within an open cloud stack, increasing pressure on server vendors to demonstrate efficiency alongside conventional performance measures.
Third-order effects
- If ARM support becomes durable in OpenStack, server competition shifts from processor specifications alone toward the completeness of the hardware, operating-system, and cloud-management stack.
- The collaboration points to rack-scale infrastructure being shaped by power efficiency and open software portability, with cloud operators able to exert more influence over server design.
The trend: ARM is moving from mobile and networking into data-center infrastructure through open cloud stacks that make alternative server architectures practical for operators.