Core Infrastructure Initiative Adds New Members to Fund and Support Critical Open Source Projects

The Linux Foundation’s CII adds Hitachi and NEC to roster of companies working to identify and fund open source projects in need of assistance

Chicago, Ill. LINUXCON & CLOUDOPEN, August 20, 2014 – The Core Infrastructure Initiative (CII), a project hosted by The Linux Foundation that enables technology companies, industry stakeholders and esteemed developers to collaboratively identify and fund open source projects that are in need of assistance, today announced new backers. Hitachi and NEC will work with existing CII members to collaboratively identify and support the critical infrastructure projects most in need of support.

These newest backers join other members of CII who include Adobe, Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg, Cisco, Dell, Facebook, Fujitsu, Google, HP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NetApp, Rackspace, salesforce.com and VMware. Comments from the newest members are included below.

“Hitachi and NEC are prioritizing support for some of the world’s most important open source projects and will help the industry move from crisis-driven responses to a measured, proactive approach to funding projects that are most in need,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Open source projects are the foundation for most of today’s global infrastructure and need be supported by the companies and users who rely on them.”

CII provides funding for fellowships for key developers to work full-time on open source projects, security audits, computing and test infrastructure, travel, face-to-face meeting coordination and other support. The Steering Committee, comprised of members of the Initiative, and the Advisory Board of industry stakeholders and esteemed developers, are tasked with identifying underfunded open source projects that support critical infrastructure and administering the funds through The Linux Foundation.

Projects currently receiving funding include Network Time Protocol, Open Crypto Audit Project (OCAP), OpenSSH and OpenSSL. Other projects are under consideration and will be funded as assessments are completed and budget allows.

The Advisory Board includes Linux kernel developer Alan Cox; security and cryptography researcher Matthew Green; Radio Free Asia’s Open Technology Fund Director Dan Meredith; professor of law and legal history at Columbia University and founder of Software Freedom Law Center Eben Moglen; Fellow at the Berckman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School Bruce Schneier; Program Officer for Human Rights for MacArthur Foundation; Eric Spears; and Linux kernel developer Ted Ts’o.

The computing industry has increasingly come to rely upon shared source code to foster innovation. But as this shared code has become ever more critical to society and more complex to build and maintain, there are certain projects that have not received the level of support commensurate with their importance. CII changes funding requests from the reactive post-crisis asks of today to proactive reviews identifying the needs of the most important projects. By raising funds at a neutral organization like The Linux Foundation, the industry can effectively give these projects the support they need while ensuring that open source projects retain their independence and community-based dynamism.

Hitachi

“The Core Infrastructure Initiative is going to address the needs in today’s software industry – a neutral, collaborative project that allows companies to support the work of today’s most critical open source projects,” said Susumu Okuhara, General Manager of Service Development Operation, IT Platform R&D Management Division, Hitachi. “We’re proud to be a part of this group and look forward to the impact it can have on the long-term health of our global infrastructure.”

NEC

“NEC has long valued Linux and open source software and supported their development,” said Naoki Hashitani, vice president, NEC. “CII gives us the opportunity to extend the support to open source projects and developers who might not be funded or supported if there were not initiatives like CII.”

Anyone can donate to the Core Infrastructure Initiative fund. To join or donate or find out more information about the Core Infrastructure please visit https://www.linuxfoundation.org/programs/core-infrastructure-initiative

Additional Resources

News Release: Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Dell, Facebook, Fujitsu, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NetApp, Rackspace, VMware and The Linux Foundation Form New Initiative to Support Critical Open Source Projects

News Release: The Linux Foundation’s Core Infrastructure Initiative Announces New Backers, First Projects to Receive Support and Advisory Board Members

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and collaborative software development. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system and collaborative software development by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Collaborative Projects, Linux conferences, including LinuxCon and generating original research and content that advances the understanding of Linux and collaborative software development. More information can be found at http://www.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. OpenBEL is a trademark of OpenBEL Consortium. OpenDaylight is a trademark of the OpenDaylight Project, Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds

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