Frequently Asked Questions

We receive great questions about the OCP Solution Provider program, OCP Marketplace and the various channel related initiatives. So we put together these FAQs where you'll find answers to common queries about program benefits, marketplace requirements, product recognition (OCP Accepted™, OCP Inspired™), OCP Ready™, OCP Experience Centers and OCP S.A.F.E.

Whether you're a new or existing member seeking additional information, our FAQs aim to provide clear and concise answers to assist you in maximizing the value of your involvement with OCP.

What agreements do I need to sign to become an OCP Solution Provider?

• Your organization must be an OCP Member.
• Sign OCP Solution Provider Agreement.
• Pay the corresponding Solution Provider fee based on your membership level.

What channel initiatives are under the OCP Solution Provider program?

• The OCP Marketplace - Products, facilities, services, experience centers and integrated solutions from approved OCP Solution Providers.
• OCP Product Recognition (OCP Accepted™ and OCP Inspired™) - Formally recognized products that meet approved OCP Contributions.
• OCP Ready™ Data Center Certification - OCP certified data centers that meet hyperscale requirements for colocation facilities.
• OCP Experience Centers - Member-led labs, testing facilities and showrooms that provide hands-on access to OCP recognized products and solutions.
• OCP S.A.F.E. - The OCP Security Appraisal Framework and Enablement Program ensures security assurance for device firmware.

Do I have to be a member of the OCP to list products, solutions and services on the OCP Marketplace?

• Yes, your organization must be an OCP Member and you also have to be a member of the OCP Solution Provider program.

Is there a fee for the OCP Marketplace?

• For Silver, Gold or Platinum OCP members, the Solution Provider program is included as a benefit.
• For Community level members, there is an annual fee of $5,000 USD per year,in addition to your annual membership fee.
• For members of our OCP Startup program, the fee to join the Solution Provider program, including the Marketplace, is dependent on your company’s startup level. Additional details on the OCP Startup program can be found here.
• The fees and benefits are listed here on the OCP site.

How many OCP recognized products can I list on the OCP Marketplace?

• As a member of the OCP Solution Provider program, you can list unlimited skus on the OCP Marketplace that meet the requirements and adhere to approved OCP contributions and specifications.

How many views does the OCP Marketplace receive?

• We typically see between 8k - 13k views per month to the OCP Marketplace.

As an OCP Solution Provider, can I see how many people have viewed my listing on the OCP Marketplace?

• Yes, as an approved OCP Solution Provider, the Foundation team will share site analytics quarterly indicating top views, specific product views, click-throughs and geography of your visitors for your product listings. We also share the top listings across the site so you can see relative performance.

As an OCP Solution Provider can I see which specific company has viewed my products on the Marketplace?

• No, we cannot see domain information. We can only see the number of views, click-throughs, etc. We cannot see the specific email addresses or IP addresses of those visiting.

What is the OCP product recognition program?

• This program is designed to brand/recognize those products which align with an OCP approved contribution. It allows our members to brand/promote their products and association with the OCP. It also helps potential adopters identify products and suppliers who are approved OCP Solution Providers with products which align with OCP approved contributions. Recognized OCP products can be either OCP Accepted™ or OCP Inspired™. Each of these recognitions comes with its own logo issued by the OCP Foundation.

Am I eligible to apply for OCP product recognition?

• All levels of OCP membership are eligible to apply for OCP Accepted™ and/or OCP Inspired™.

What is the difference between OCP Accepted™ and OCP Inspired™?

• A product can be recognized as OCP Accepted™ if it aligns with an approved OCP specification and your company has contributed (or will be) contributing design files. (guidelines for contribution design files)
• A product can be recognized as OCP Inspired™ if it aligns with an approved OCP specification OR other types of contributions (i.e. white papers); HOWEVER, no design files will be contributed.

Do I need to disclose my design files to obtain OCP recognition for my product?

• No, if you are seeking OCP Inspired™ you do not have to disclose any design files
• Yes, if you are seeking OCP Accepted™ you will need to disclose design files. (guidelines for contribution design files)

How do I find a list of contributions to review to see if my product aligns with a current approved contribution or specification?

• You can review all contributions in the searchable OCP Contributions database here

What is the process for receiving product recognition and what should I provide to the OCP Foundation for the process (OCP Accepted™, OCP Inspired™)

• Reach out to the OCP Foundation team (solutionproviders@opencompute.org) to begin the discovery process
• Provide the relevant collateral to the OCP Foundation team for review:
  • Product datasheet and/or link to your product
  • Indicate the OCP approved specification or other type of contribution with which your product aligns. (choose from the OCP Contributions database)
• Once approved, you will sign the Solution Provider agreement (if not a current member of the SP program) and the OCP Accepted™ or the OCP Inspired™ certification mark agreement. These certification agreements indicate that your products align with an approved OCP contribution.

Can I list my OCP Accepted™ and/or OCP Inspired™ recognized product on the OCP Marketplace?

• Yes, you will need to join the OCP Solution Provider (SP) program. This program is our channel enablement program designed to help our members go-to-market. The OCP Marketplace is one component of the overall SP program.

What collateral is needed to list products on the Marketplace

• Name of the product, solution or service you want to list
• Description of the products and services provided - it is recommended that this be robust content, with lots of detail as it will aid in search engine optimization
• 1-3 photos
• 1-2 videos (optional)
• Link to your site to redirect people, ideally a landing page for that specific item
• Contact email or link to contact form for those interested in reaching out
• Company logo

What qualifies as an Integrated Solution for the OCP Marketplace?

• An OCP Integrated Solution is eligible when the majority of the hardware elements in the solution are either OCP Accepted™ or OCP Inspired™.

How long does it take to go through the certification process?

• It can be just a few weeks, depending on how long it might take for your company to complete the self-assessment, review membership documents, etc. We also schedule a time for your team to present to the Data Center Facility (DCF) project during a group meeting, which occurs monthly. Typically, data center facilities can become certified in approximately 6-8 weeks.

What is the difference between the OCP Ready™ v1 and OCP Ready v2 for Hyperscale certification?

• The OCP Ready program's v1 data center certification set the foundation for giving recognition to data centers that can support OCP recognized hardware inc. Open Rack. v2 (OCP Ready for Hyperscale) builds on this foundation with more rigorous standards to meet the demands of hyperscale operators utilizing colocation data centers. The transition from v1 to v2 reflects a shift towards multi-tenant data centers accommodating the larger scale, higher density, and more advanced infrastructure requirements of hyperscale operations.

Are the facility site assessments made publicly available?

• Yes, all site assessments are available on the OCP Marketplace as part of your data center facility listing on the OCP Marketplace.

Do I need to become an OCP Solution Provider to achieve OCP Ready™ certification for my facility?

• Yes, it is a requirement prior to having a facility self-certified.

Do you send someone on-site to audit the data center facility for certification?

• No, this is a self-certification that is completed by you, and the data center site assessment is approved by the DCF project team prior to approval by the OCP Foundation

Do I need to self-certify for OCP Ready™ v1 first before certifying for OCP Ready™ v2 for Hyperscale?

• No, you can certify for whichever recognition is more appropriate to your data center’s specification,the type of customer/ tenant and IT equipment that you’re hosting

Is it possible to self-certify a data center facility for liquid cooling readiness?

• No, this isn’t currently possible but it is in the program’s development pipeline

Are OCP Ready™ Data Centers listed on the OCP Marketplace?

• Yes, data centers will be listed under the Data Center Facilities & Experience Centers section of the OCP Marketplace.

What collateral is needed to list an OCP Ready™ Data Center on the Marketplace

• Name of the data center that was certified
• Description of the data center facility and services provided - it is recommended that this be robust content, with lots of detail as it will aid in search engine optimization
• 1-3 photos
• 1-2 videos (optional)
• Link to your site to redirect people, ideally a landing page for that specific item
• Contact email or link to contact form for those interested in reaching out
• Company logo

How much information do I need to share in the OCP Ready™ presentation to the DC Facilities Project?

• A completed site assessment document.
• A slide that describes how your data center meets with the OCP tenets.
• Below are links to past recordings of OCP Ready presentations as examples.

OCP Ready for Hyperscale Presentation by Aligned Data Centers

KAO Data Presentation starts at 12.38 minutes into the call

Hydro66 Presentation starts at 42.46 minutes into the call

Do I need to become an OCP Solution Provider to host an OCP Experience Center?

• Yes, it is a requirement.

Do I control access to visit my OCP Experience Center or do I have to open this up to anyone?

• Yes, you can control access as well as setting the requirements for admission, based on your security protocol
• The Foundation team can work with you to ensure the center meets your security and business development requirements.

Do I have to supply all the hardware to host an OCP Experience Center?

• Yes, you are responsible for providing the equipment
• While most of our members supply their own hardware, the Foundation team can work with you to identify other members who might be able to contribute hardware to your center.

Does the OCP Experience Center have to be a physical venue or can it be virtual?

• OCP Experience Centers can be in-person facilities or virtual environments. The scope and format of the centers are mutually agreed upon by the member and OCP Foundation team.

Who approves an OCP Experience Center?

• The OCP Experience Center program is part of the overall OCP Solution Provider program.
• The OCP Foundation team approves OCP Experience Centers based on mutual discussions with the members on scope and services provided.

What are the fees to host an OCP Experience Center?

• The Solution Provider fee schedule includes OCP Experience Centers.

Does the OCP Foundation help to market the OCP Experience Centers?

• Yes, the OCP Foundation team partners with the members for marketing activities and outreach to the OCP Community. The scope and resourcing of activities are mutually agreed upon. These centers are also listed on the OCP Marketplace.

Are OCP Experience Centers listed on the OCP Marketplace?

• Yes, centers will be listed under the Data Center Facilities and OCP Experience Center section of the OCP Marketplace.

What collateral is need to list the OCP Experience Center on the Marketplace

• Name of the center 
• Description of the center and services provided - it is recommended that this be robust content, with lots of detail as it will aid in search engine optimization
• 1-3 photos 
• 1-2 videos (optional)
• Link to your site to redirect people, ideally a landing page for that specific item
• Contact email or link to contact form for those interested in reaching out
• Company logo

Do I have to be an OCP Solution Provider to be an approved Security Review Provider (SRP)?

• Yes, the OCP S.A.F.E. program is part of the OCP Solution Provider program.

How are SRP’s evaluated and approved?

• A list of the requirements to become an OCP Approved SRP can be found on the OCP S.A.F.E. github here.

How do I find a list of the OCP Approved SRP’s?

• A complete list of the current OCP Approved SRP’s can be found on the OCP S.A.F.E. github here.

Are OCP S.A.F.E. products listed on the OCP Marketplace?

• Yes, those products which have been OCP S.A.F.E. approved are listed on the OCP Marketplace along with the short form audit report.

Who can I contact for questions about the OCP?

• membership@opencompute.org
• solutionproviders@opencompute.org