Open source software could be the EU's secret weapon

Date:
Mon, 06 Sep 2021 13:55:10 +0000

Description:
Small investment in open source will reap huge benefits to the EU, suggests new European Commission study.

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Pursuing a dedicated open source industrial policy will help the EU
accelerate the digital transformation of European industry, suggests a new report published by the European Commission.

The study was conducted by Fraunhofer ISI and OpenForum Europe (OFE) , to investigate the economic impact of open source software (OSS) and hardware on the EUs economy.

It estimates that OSS already contributes between 65 to 95 billion to the
EUs GDP, which according to the OFE is the equivalent of both air and water transport combined. Check our roundup of the best Linux distros Here are the best Linux laptops for running Linux Also take a look at the best laptops for programming

Open source offers a greenfield advantage for policymakers and Europe has the chance to lead, noted Sachiko Muto, the OFEs CEO. Open source for the win

The report notes that EU governments and companies have already invested over 1 billion in open source development in 2018 alone, even as it identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of OSS in important
fields such as cybersecurity , and artificial intelligence ( AI ), among others.

The report goes on to offer certain recommendations to enable OSS to help digitise the European industry. One of the suggestions involves setting up a European network of governmental units dedicated to accelerating the use of open technologies.

The report also suggests using the Horizon Europe program with a total budget of 95.5 billion for 2021-2027 to infuse capital into open source support mechanisms and projects.

The data predicts that if open source contributions increased by 10% in the EU, they would generate an additional 0.4% to 0.6% (around 100 billion) to
the blocs GDP, notes OFE, which hopes the study equips policymakers with all the evidence they need to promote open source for the benefit of the EU. Subscribe to Linux Format magazine for more Linux and open source goodness



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/open-source-software-could-be-the-eus-secret-we apon/


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