WeAreOpenInfra: How Open Source Communities are Defining the next Generation of Infrastructure

Summary

Mark Collier from the Open Infrastructure Foundation (OIF) highlights the key role open-source software plays in modern infrastructure. He discusses four major trends reshaping the industry: digital sovereignty, licensing changes, security concerns, and the explosive growth of AI. Collier emphasizes how OpenStack and other OIF projects are driving innovation in response to these challenges, offering flexible, secure, and scalable solutions. He concludes with a call to action for collaboration, underscoring the power of the open-source community in shaping the future of global infrastructure.

Takeaways

• 😀 Open Infrastructure Foundation builds open-source software for infrastructure, backed by a global community of companies and individuals.
• 😀 OpenStack, COT, Containers, Starling X, and Zuul are key open-source projects developed by the foundation for modern infrastructure needs.
• 😀 Digital sovereignty is a growing concern, with organizations and governments seeking control over where their data is stored and who has access to it.
• 😀 OpenStack is widely used for digital sovereignty, with countries like France using it to comply with local data privacy laws in industries like banking.
• 😀 The rise of RISC-V, an open-source chip architecture, aligns with digital sovereignty efforts, allowing countries and companies more control over their hardware infrastructure.
• 😀 Licensing changes by companies, such as Terraform and VMware, have pushed organizations toward open-source alternatives, with OpenTofu being a key example of this shift.
• 😀 Trust is vital in the open-source community, and licensing changes by major vendors can lead to mass migrations to open-source solutions like OpenStack.
• 😀 Security concerns in cloud infrastructure are growing, with 87% of container images in production containing high-severity vulnerabilities.
• 😀 Kata Containers, a lightweight virtualization project, provides a secure solution for containers, balancing speed and security, and is gaining adoption in platforms like AWS and Azure.
• 😀 AI is driving massive infrastructure investment, with companies building new compute capacity to support AI workloads. OpenStack is evolving to meet these needs.
• 😀 The UK’s Dawn Supercomputer and Hyundai’s connected car infrastructure are examples of AI-driven projects leveraging OpenStack to handle large-scale AI workloads.
• 😀 Open-source solutions are critical for managing the rapidly changing technological landscape, ensuring resilience, adaptability, and control over infrastructure.
• 😀 The Open Infrastructure Foundation’s work is key to meeting future challenges in infrastructure, from AI and data privacy to security and licensing concerns.

Q & A

What is the primary mission of the Open Infrastructure Foundation?

The primary mission of the Open Infrastructure Foundation is to build open-source software for infrastructure. As a nonprofit organization, it is backed by global members and focuses on developing projects like OpenStack, COT, Starling X, and Zuul.

What role does OpenStack play in the Open Infrastructure Foundation's efforts?

OpenStack is one of the most well-known open-source software projects supported by the Open Infrastructure Foundation. It is particularly critical for creating cloud infrastructure and has received over 600,000 code changes from more than 10,000 developers globally.

How does the Open Infrastructure Foundation differ from single-vendor open-source projects?

The Open Infrastructure Foundation differs by fostering collaboration among multiple companies and individuals worldwide to develop open-source software. Unlike single-vendor open-source projects, it focuses on creating inclusive solutions through community efforts.

What economic impact does open-source software have globally, according to a recent Harvard study?

According to a recent Harvard study, open-source software has created $8 trillion in value, which is roughly equivalent to 12 quadrillion W. This highlights the significant economic contribution of open-source technologies.

Why is digital sovereignty becoming a critical issue for companies and governments?

Digital sovereignty refers to the need for control over data, including where it is stored, who has access to it, and which laws apply. Governments and corporations are increasingly focusing on this issue to ensure data security, compliance, and protection from external influence.

Can you provide an example of how digital sovereignty is being addressed in Europe?

In France, nine major banks rely on OpenStack to ensure that their data stays within the country, complying with local laws. This is a key example of how digital sovereignty is driving adoption of open-source technologies like OpenStack.

What challenges do licensing changes in proprietary software pose, and how does open-source respond?

Licensing changes in proprietary software often create challenges for customers, including unexpected price hikes and loss of access. Open-source solutions like OpenStack and the launch of OpenTFO (a fork of Terraform) provide resilience by offering transparent, community-driven alternatives.

How is open-source software responding to the growing security concerns around containerized applications?

The Open Infrastructure Foundation hosts the Kata Containers project, which provides a solution for securing containers. Kata Containers offers the speed of containers combined with the security of virtual machines, addressing the growing need for secure container environments.

What impact is AI having on the demand for infrastructure, and how is open-source responding?

AI is driving an unprecedented demand for new infrastructure, particularly for GPU-powered data centers. The Open Infrastructure Foundation and projects like OpenStack are evolving to support these AI workloads, with organizations like NextGen Cloud and Stack HPC leveraging OpenStack for AI infrastructure.

How does the Open Infrastructure Foundation plan to tackle the fast pace of technological change?

The Open Infrastructure Foundation tackles rapid technological changes by fostering collaboration between companies and individuals, creating the necessary software, and continuously evolving open-source projects like OpenStack to meet the needs of emerging technologies and market demands.