Facebook to Reveal One of Its Secrets

Facebook is ready to share one of its secrets: The company will unveil the details of its server design—something most big tech firms keep under wraps—in an effort to improve server technology and efficiency throughout the industry. The firm will publish the technical details of the building design, computers, battery backup technologies, and more that make up the brand-new data center it just built in Oregon, reports the Wall Street Journal. The systems there offer 38% more energy efficiency and a 24% boost in cost-effectiveness compared with Facebook’s earlier equipment.

“By sharing this, we will make it more efficient for this ecosystem to grow,” said Mark Zuckerberg. “We think it's time to demystify the biggest capital expense of an online business—the infrastructure,” added a Facebook rep. The move will allow other firms to concentrate on software development for social networks, said Facebook, which could benefit in a second way: "At the bottom of this, the motivation is to try to foster a commercial competitive marketplace for the technology that they need going forward," noted an analyst. (More Facebook stories.)