Ocado Technology’s Kubermesh Open Source Package Aims To Remove Data Centre Reliance From Smart Factories

Ocado Technology has released Kubermesh, an open source package designed for simplify the data architecture needed for smart factories and remove the need for reliance on dedicated data centres.

Comprised of container-based software and the Kubernetes system, which automates the deployment, management and scaling of said container, Kubermesh can create an on premise private cloud architecture out of an organisation’s existing IT infrastructure, configuring desktop computers to act as nodes to support the compute and storage functions required to run smart factories, notably automated warehouses.

Data centre detachment

Usually, smart factories would need a dedicated high-performance server located in a data centre to handle all the compute and data processing needed to fuel an autonomous factory.

But Ocado Technologies, which is the tech arm of food delivery giant Ocado, noted the use of Kubermesh removes the need for such a powerful server, data centre and the complex networking infrastructure.

By doing this, Ocado Technology claims that both the capital and operational expenditure of an organisation setting up and running a smart factory can be reduced, notably with the removal of the need to maintain high-performance servers.

“This is a bold idea that has the potential to revolutionise the way companies approach on-site data centre architectures,” said general manager of infrastructure, operations and site reliability engineering at Ocado Technology.

“Thanks to the power of open source software such as Kubernetes, our platform automation team was able to quickly design a working prototype and develop it further based on advanced simulations of our future warehouse automation requirements.”

As open source software, Kubermesh is free for developers, meaning Ocado Technology is offering the foundations for IT teams and developers at both large and small organisations to delve into the world of smart factories and warehouses without the need to spend vast amounts of money.

Ocado is known to make prolific use of the latest technology to boost the performance of its core business, with the company putting a keen eye on tech innovation.

This can be seen with the company’s recent work with several EU universities to trial a robot designed to have a soft touch when picking fragile foods.

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