Another Shift: Server Chip Market Leads to the Death of Customization

According to report over on Wired, Intel now sells server level chips to more than just IBM, DELL and HP - in quantity.

"Google is something like number five on that list." - Diane Bryant, Intel.

Another mile along the long journey of IT Transformation.  You see, there was a day, not that long ago, when IBM, HP and Dell where the biggest purchasers of server chips from Intel - that was back in 2008.

Today, in just four short years, those big manufactures have been joined and rivaled by what some would consider "non-traditional" hardware manufacturers.  Namely, Google.

Google is making their own servers.  Indeed, Google is going directly to the ODM(original design manufacturers) - DIRECT.  No channels or resellers.  Does this alarm anyone in the IT realm?  Anyone?

Sure, we're talking high volume, customized equipment but with the advancements in prototyping,  production and manufacturing(think 3D printing and all that nano-technology) it will not be long before EVERYBODY will be able to go directly to the design departments and production floor with their specific requirements.

Think about it.

If I want the iPHONE 5, I, like all of us, I'm required to wait until Apple spools up manufacturing, fills  warehouses around the globe, holds a massive press junket, and then "releases the hounds" - clicking off millions of unit sales a minute.

Wow.

Soon, just like Google or FaceBook approaches ODM's to produce 'custom' chips, we will have the freedom to design, order and receive every type of device we can imagine - within reason.

Would you like a new car?  Do you have the credits in the bank?  Not only choose your color, but design it from the ground up or assemble from a pre-fab list.

No need to customize, everything is made to specification.  So much so, that the word "customize' loses it meaning.

SciFi? Nope.

It's just another turn on the way to singular alignment...

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