Intel is backing an industry-standard specification that could ultimately cut the cost of blade servers by enabling IT departments to mix and match kit from different suppliers, an option currently unavailable. However, the standard is unlikely to replace the proprietary hardware of the larger vendors, at least in the short term.

The Server Systems Infrastructure (SSI) is an initiative working to produce greater interoperability between server components from different vendors. The forum group has previously issued specifications for power supplies and motherboards, but has now turned its attention to the burgeoning blade server market, with guidelines for the chassis, blades and management tools of these modular systems.

Intel’s endorsement of the specifications should give a boost to the initiative, and the vendor sees it as a way to grow the industry and sell more of its server chips.

“Blades are a fast-growing part of the server market, and we’re looking to accelerate growth by bringing in more builders,” said Arun Shenoy, Intel’s director of Digital Enterprise for Europe.

Shenoy added that different servers tend to have different management tools, different power supplies and fit different form factors. “These are the things we want to standardise,” he said.

Victoria Chin, marketing manager at component maker Tyan, said the new guidelines would lead to lower-cost servers. The firm plans to introduce products based on the specifications in 2008.

“We looked at blades in the past, but these plans were blocked because of [development] costs. This move will mean more choice for users as they can now use a third-party chassis,” Chin said.

However, the absence of HP and IBM from the SSI membership limits the appeal of the standard to enterprise customers, according to Butler Group senior research analyst Roy Illsley.

“IBM and HP both have adaptive power management in their products that can throttle power for all the components on a blade. Will cheaper blades have this advanced capability?” Illsley said.

Illsley expected that the initiative will reduce server costs, but the end products will probably appeal more to smaller firms. “What Intel is doing is good, but IBM and HP are the biggest blade vendors and it won’t make much of a dent in the enterprise market unless one of them is on board,” he argued.

Such a move seems unlikely, as the major vendors see the board and chassis designs of blade servers as areas where they can still add value and differentiate their products from rival technologies.

Intel’s Shenoy recognised this is the case today, but said that standards should help to open the market up and allow more vendors in.

“We hope in the long term that this will become the main standard in the blade server space,” Shenoy said.