AMD partners with Nvidia to launch data center standard

AMD is partnering with rival Nvidia, as well as Google and Meta, to establish an open specification for data center design. The group unveiled the Open Data Center Specification v0.7 on October 12, 2026.

The standard serves as a shared blueprint for building data centers. It covers the physical layout of facilities as well as their cooling and power architecture. Nvidia also announced a separate project with Google, Meta, and Microsoft to build the OCP Grid Resilience Specification, which defines how facilities handle and recover from electrical outages.

According to Nvidia, the standards offer predefined templates for system builders, data center operators, and colocation providers. Standardized designs aim to eliminate custom requirements that slow construction schedules and delay chip deployments.

The industry push comes amid growing public scrutiny over power and water use. New York has placed a statewide, one-year moratorium on data center construction, while Texas has halted new developments to assess their impact on the power grid. Meanwhile, President Trump has criticized local opposition, stating that data centers will create revenue for states.