Today, the Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, published a new report, “Software-Defined Vertical Industries: Transformation Through Open Source.” Sponsored by LF Energy, the report analyzes how vertical industries have become increasingly software-defined thanks to open source technologies. The report serves as a guide for how industries that are still in the early stages of digital transformation can accelerate their progress and increase innovation by adopting and contributing to open source.
Industries examined in the report include agriculture, automotive, energy, entertainment, financial services, media, and telecommunications. Specific examples are provided of successful digital transformations driven by open source technologies and standards.
The report provides detailed insight into how specific industries, several of which are centuries old, are moving forward with open source as an accelerator to their digital transformation plans, how they are building collaboration into the fabric of their R&D and development models, and relying heavily on open source technologies to stay competitive. It also describes the benefits of a collaborative development model, including improved interoperability, faster development, more innovative solutions, reduced costs, and longer lifespans.
The impacts of major technological trends and innovations such as AI, cloud native computing, IoT, and software-defined networking on industry are also discussed.
Zephyr is highlighted on pages 33-35 in this new report as an example of innovative project with cross-industry best practices, an impact on sustainability and more.
Zephyr is a great example for how industries can learn from each other, apply best practices, and achieve success with open source. For example, Zephyr now includes three software bills of materials included by default in each build, Zephyr ranked fifth in the 2023 Project Velocity Report from CNCF. This refers to the rate at which development tasks are completed and features are delivered in a specific amount of time.
“Software-Defined Vertical Industries: Transformation Through Open Source” can be downloaded for free at https://www.linuxfoundation.org/resources/publications/software-defined-vertical-industries-2024.