Nvidia, AMD, Google and Meta partner globally on data center design

Nvidia (NVDA) joins rival AMD (AMD) as well as partners Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Meta (META) to establish a new open specification for data center design.

Called Open Data Center Specification v0.7, the standard serves as a blueprint for building data centers, covering everything from the physical layout of buildings to cooling and power architecture.

The chip giant also said it is partnering with Google, Meta and Microsoft (MSFT) to create the OCP Grid Resilience specification, which serves as a standard for how data centers respond to power outages, ensuring they can quickly return to full operation.

FILE PHOTO: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at a door after attending the AI ecosystem reception in Tokyo, Japan July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Manami Yamada/File Photo — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at a door after attending the AI Ecosystem reception in Tokyo, Japan July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Manami Yamada/File Photo · Reuters / REUTERS

According to Nvidia, both specifications provide everyone from system manufacturers to colocation providers and data center operators with a set of predefined templates for building data centers without having to deal with a multitude of different customer designs.

Data centers are incredibly complex facilities that require large amounts of power and cooling to keep the chips inside them from overheating and failing. And adding custom designs and quirks can slow down construction times.

Open standards could change that, allowing manufacturers to bring new data centers online more quickly. And the faster data centers grow, the more chips, systems and networking components Nvidia can sell.

At the same time, data centers are facing growing resistance from communities across the United States, with some cities and counties imposing moratoriums or outright bans to prevent companies from building them.

New York State has issued a one-year moratorium on data center construction statewide, and Texas has paused new projects until it can determine the impact connecting more power-hungry sites to its power grid will have.

President Trump has opposed any resistance to data centers, saying they would be a source of revenue for states.