POWERing up 

Avnet has announced that it has signed on to join the OpenPOWER foundation, an open development group based on IBM’s POWER microprocessor architecture.

Joining this organization will enable Avnet’s roster of partners and customers to leverage IBM’s entire range of hardware and software stacks. The partnership will help Avnet’s client base to create customized server, networking and storage hardware devices that are in line with POWER’s high-performance architecture.

“Working with the OpenPOWER Foundation complements Avnet’s long-standing relationship with IBM across the enterprise, from the component level to the data centre,” said Tony Madden, senior vice president of global supplier business executive for Avnet, in a press release.

“With the accelerated pace of change in technology, membership in the OpenPOWER Foundation provides an excellent avenue for us to work alongside other market leaders to deploy open Power technology, providing customers and partners with the technology infrastructure they need to evolve and grow their businesses,” Madden added.

Launched in 2013, IBM’s OpenPOWER Foundation is a technical membership organization that offers enterprises a comprehensive framework for open development for new hardware and software products. IBM’s POWER8 processor forms the foundation of the group’s projects, which supports open source technologies such as KVM, Linux and OpenStack.