SONiC, the Leading Open Source Network Operating System, Sees Unparalleled Growth With 10 New Members and Expansion into Enterprise Edge

• SONiC welcomes 10 new members, emphasizing its robust growing community of 4,250 contributors across 520+ organizations with 20% YOY contributor growth

• Community expands into edge networks through new enterprise edge workgroup to meet market demand and integrate enterprise edge protocols

• SONiC demonstrates network operating system advancements and community growth through co-located event and breakout sessions at ONE Summit, highlighting latest community release 202405

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Open Networking & Edge (ONE) Summit—  April 29, 2024 - Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC) project, an open source network operating system (NOS) within the Linux Foundation, today announced the addition of ten new members to its growing global consortium. Unprecedented membership growth, coupled with the availability of new deployment case studies, showcases SONiC's powerful impact within the network operating space.

Initially created by Microsoft for its Azure data centers and seeded to the Linux Foundation in 2022, SONiC is an open source NOS based on Linux that runs on switches from multiple vendors and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). SONiC is proud to welcome ten new members to its growing roster of thought-leading industry organizations: Asterfusion Data Technologies, Augtera Networks, Celestica, Denvr Dataworks, Edgecore Network Corporation, Micas Networks, Netweb Technologies, PalCNetworks, QualitySoft Corporation, as General members, and EPFL as an Associate member. Spanning hardware manufacturers and software developers, these member organizations illustrate the broad industry support for SONiC's mission to enhance data center networking through open source solutions.

"SONiC’s growth showcases its unique position in pioneering open source networking solutions, and fosters broad industry collaboration," said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, the Linux Foundation. "This expansion not only broadens SONiC’s base of expertise but also enhances its collaborative potential to tackle complex challenges such as achieving true network scalability and enhancing real-time network telemetry in the networking space."

New Deployment Studies Highlight SONiC's Versatility and Efficiency

As SONiC continues to reshape the landscape of network operations, new deployment studies illustrate the potential for cost-savings and efficiency across real-world network infrastructures: 

• Global telecommunications leader Orange has successfully implemented 90 disaggregated SONiC switches in a targeted telecom production setting, enhancing its network infrastructure. With plans to deploy over 150 additional switches in 2024, Orange is leveraging SONiC's flexible, cost-efficient, and innovative open-source capabilities to establish pioneering standards in network solutions.
• Alibaba Cloud has used SONiC to transform its data center infrastructure, achieving substantial cost savings, enhanced network quality, and accelerated innovation in AI and standard cloud compute/storage architectures. 

These examples underscore SONiC’s role in advancing network technology and its capability to support complex, high-demand environments across the globe. 

For more detailed insights on how SONiC is used in the real world, please visit https://sonicfoundation.dev/community-resources/user-stories/.

SONiC Launches New Workgroup for Enterprise Edge

In collaboration with member organizations Aviz Networks, Wistron, Cisco, and Celestica, SONiC has formed the “PoE Edge Networks with SONiC (PENS)” workgroup. This new initiative seeks to adapt SONiC—traditionally utilized in cloud-scale and data center networks—for enterprise edge networking environments. 

The PENS workgroup will adapt SONiC to edge LANs, integrating specialized protocols including Power Over Ethernet (PoE), Spanning Tree, and 802.1x, which are essential for enhancing connectivity and network efficiency at the enterprise edge. This strategic move highlights SONiC's adaptability and the project’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of modern networked enterprises. Learn more about the PENS workgroup on SONiC blog here.

SONiC at Open Networking & Edge (ONE) Summit

The SONiC community is onsite at Open Networking & Edge (ONE) Summit this week in San Jose, Calif. This key industry event brings together decision-makers and implementers for a series of co-located events, leading keynotes, and robust breakout sessions. 

The community hosted a SONiC Workshop on April 29 which provided a deep-dive into the latest developments within the SONiC ecosystem, covering innovations in NOS management, enhancements in routing capabilities, intricacies of Software Defined Networking (SDN), and the latest in system design. Session recordings will be available in the coming weeks. 

Learn more about SONiC and the impact it’s making across the open networking ecosystem at sonicfoundation.dev.

Please visit SONiC blog for a list of supporting quotes from SONiC’s newest members.