Oxide Innovations
Oxide Rack: Visual Overview and Technical Innovations
Visuals of the Oxide Rack and Sleds
While the provided PDF does not contain photographs, several sources—including a recent YouTube tour and technical documentation—offer clear descriptions and some visual cues for the Oxide Rack and its components.
Oxide Rack Structure
The rack is a large, integrated chassis standing 92.7 inches (2354mm) tall, 23.7 inches (600mm) wide, and 41.8 inches (1060mm) deep, weighing up to 2,518 lbs (1,145 kg)[1][2].
It houses up to 32 custom-designed compute sleds, two integrated network switches, and a centralized power shelf[1][4][6].
Compute Sleds
Each sled is a hot-swappable server module, custom-designed by Oxide (not based on any standard reference design)[6].
Sleds slide horizontally into the rack, connecting via blind-mate connectors for both power and networking—no manual cabling required for removal or insertion[2][4][6].
Each sled contains:
A single AMD EPYC 7713P processor (64 cores, 128 threads)
16 DDR4 DIMM slots (up to 2 TiB RAM)
10 U.2/U.3 2.5-inch NVMe SSD bays (up to 32 TiB per sled)
Dual 100 GbE network connections
Custom service processor (no traditional BMC)[1][4][6].
Power Shelf
Located centrally in the rack, the power shelf converts three-phase AC to DC, distributing power via a DC bus bar[1][4][6].
Supports up to 6 redundant power supplies (N+1 or N+N), delivering up to 15 kW to the rack[1][4].
All sleds blind-mate to the DC bus bar for power, eliminating the need for individual power cables[2][5][6].
Network Switches
Two custom “Sidecar” switches (one per rack side) use Intel Tofino 2 ASICs, offering 6.4 Tbit/s bandwidth and 32x 100/200G QSFP uplink ports[1][4].
Rear-facing ports connect directly to sleds via the cabled backplane, while front-facing ports handle external connectivity[1][4].
Switches also include integrated management ASICs and service processors[4].
Cabling and Backplane
The rack uses a cabled backplane for both networking and power, enabling blind-mate connections for all sleds[4][6].
This design dramatically reduces cabling clutter, improves airflow, and simplifies maintenance[2][5][6].
Visual Representation
While direct photographs are not included in the PDF, the [YouTube tour][6] and CoreSite deployment photos[3] (not included here for copyright reasons) show:
A tall, clean rack with sleds inserted horizontally from the front.
Central power shelf and side-mounted switches.
No visible cabling at the front; all connections are internal/blind-mate.
Sleds are easily removable for service.
What Do These Parts Do?
Compute Sleds: Provide the raw computing power—each is a self-contained server with CPU, memory, storage, and network interfaces. They are designed for easy hot-swap maintenance and high-density deployment[1][4][6].
Power Shelf: Centralizes power conversion and distribution, improving efficiency and reliability. The DC bus bar approach reduces conversion losses and cabling complexity[2][4][5][6].
Network Switches: Deliver high-throughput, low-latency networking to every sled, with uplinks for external connectivity and a management network for control and monitoring[1][4].
Cabled Backplane: Enables blind-mate connections for both power and networking, allowing for tool-less sled replacement and minimizing downtime[2][4][6].
Technical Innovations
Blind-mate Backplane
Sleds connect to power and network with no manual cabling.
Manual cabling for each server.
Centralized Power Shelf
Single AC→DC conversion, DC bus bar, fewer cables, higher efficiency.
Individual server PSUs, more cables, less efficient.
Custom Sled Design
Designed from scratch for airflow, serviceability, and integration.
Based on standard reference designs.
Integrated Switches
Custom, high-bandwidth switches with direct sled connections.
External switches, more cabling.
Service Processor
Custom, networked service processors replace traditional BMCs for better management.
Standard BMCs, less integration.
Hot-swappable Everything
All sleds, power supplies, and switches are hot-swappable from the front.
Typically requires rear access and more downtime.
Additional Innovations
Airflow and Cooling: Larger, more efficient fans reduce power draw for cooling to just 2% of total server power, compared to up to 20% in traditional designs[2][5].
Unified Management: Integrated API, portal, and SDKs allow for seamless provisioning and monitoring of compute, storage, and networking resources[4].
Cloud-like On-Premises Experience: The rack is delivered as a fully integrated system, bringing hyperscale cloud hardware and operational benefits to enterprise data centers[3][5][7].
Summary
The Oxide Rack is a fully integrated, rack-scale computer system with innovations in power distribution, networking, serviceability, and management. It brings the efficiency and operational model of hyperscale cloud providers to on-premises deployments, offering a unique alternative to traditional piecemeal server racks[2][3][5][6].
For actual photographs and a detailed visual walkthrough, the [YouTube tour][6] is highly recommended, as it provides a close-up look at the rack, sleds, and internal components.
Sources [1] Oxide-Rack-Specifications-20250217.pdf https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/49592179/fd7a330c-ee66-413b-86fe-343bbf4f1714/Oxide-Rack-Specifications-20250217.pdf [2] Oxide reimagines the DC rack as... a 2500-lb blade server? https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/16/oxide_3000lb_blade_server/ [3] Oxide deploys racks at CoreSite's SV2 data center in Silicon Valley ... https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/oxide-deploys-racks-at-coresites-sv2-data-center-in-silicon-valley-california/ [4] Introduction / Guides / Oxide https://docs.oxide.computer/guides/introduction [5] Row-Scale On-Premises Cloud Infrastructure from Oxide Computer https://futurumgroup.com/insights/row-scale-on-premises-cloud-infrastructure-from-oxide-computer/ [6] Oxide Cloud Computer Tour - Front - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHbgjB0RQ1s [7] Startups on hard mode: Oxide. Part 1: Hardware https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/oxide [8] Oxide Computer Company https://oxide.computer [9] Specifications - Oxide Computer https://oxide.computer/product/specifications [10] A New Standard in National Security and Innovation - Oxide Computer https://oxide.computer/blog/oxide-computer-company-and-lawrence-livermore-national-laboratory [11] Initial Rack Setup / Guides / Oxide https://docs.oxide.computer/guides/system/initial-rack-setup
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