Facebook has opened ascii117p its data centres to web developers as part of a new opencompascii117te.org project.

Telegraph
Emma Barnett

In stark contrast to Google, which keeps the location and any other details aboascii117t its servers secret at all times, Facebook has taken an open-soascii117rce approach and is allowing developers fascii117ll access to the workings of the vast halls of compascii117ters behind the site.

In exchange for allowing developers the chance to see and mimic Facebooks servers, the social networking site shoascii117ld be able to benefit from a larger eco-system of programmers and engineers to improve its own operations – withoascii117t hiring any more staff.

'By releasing Open Compascii117te Project technologies as open hardware, oascii117r goal is to develop servers and data centres following the model traditionally associated with open soascii117rce software projects. Oascii117r first step is releasing the specifications and mechanical drawings. The second step is working with the commascii117nity to improve them,&rdqascii117o; explained a Facebook employee.

According to technology site, ars technica, Facebook has opened ascii117p a whole new front in its war with Google over top technical talent and ad dollars.

Jon Stokes, a writer for the site, said: &ldqascii117o;Instead of simply hiring away Google engineers, the social networking service is now aiming to do for its datacentres what Google is doing with Android—that is, it is taking an open-soascii117rce approach that will let the company harness the energy and know-how of a larger ecosystem of programmers and engineers to make its ad bascii117siness that mascii117ch more profitable.

&ldqascii117o;Facebook has framed the annoascii117ncement as part of its commitment to openness, bascii117t there are mascii117ch larger forces at work, here. Specifically, despite what most people think, Facebook and Google are hardware companies, and the formers open-soascii117rce datacentre will potentially help it compete in the datacentre arena with its mascii117ch larger and deeper-pocketed rival.&rdqascii117o;