At the 8ra Initiative, we believe that the future of European digital infrastructure must be built on a foundation of openness, collaboration, and transparency. This is why our technological developments are rooted in Open Source.
What is Open Source?
Open Source means that the software’s source code is made available for anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute. Crucially, its use is not restricted, ensuring that technology remains a shared resource rather than a locked-down product. At 8ra, we use Open Source as a strategic tool to ensure transparency, prevent vendor lock-in, and foster a fair and collaborative ecosystem where innovation belongs to the community rather than a single entity.
Why Open Source Matters for 8ra
To achieve the goals of the 8ra Initiative, Open Source is not just a choice – it is a strategic necessity. We focus on six core pillars:
- Transparency & Trust: By making code available, we move away from “black box” technologies. 8ra serves a broad community rather than a single corporation, allowing for continuous improvement through collective intelligence.
- Security: We reject “security by obscurity”. Open Source allows the global community to identify and patch vulnerabilities faster than any closed team could.
- Digital Sovereignty: Open Source provides true independence from proprietary vendors. It ensures that European companies and public administrations maintain full digital autonomy and control over their technical infrastructure.
- Interoperability & Openness: By utilising open standards, we ensure that our software is highly compatible and accessible, breaking down barriers between different technologies.
- Resilience: We prevent “vendor lock-in”. Because the community can maintain projects even if individual manufacturers change direction, our technological ecosystem remains stable and sustainable.
- Innovation & Efficiency: Reusability speeds up development cycles, fosters a joint ecosystem, and promotes economic sustainability.
8ra provides full transparency regarding code, architecture, and security mechanisms, ensuring a sovereign, vendor-neutral alternative for Europe.
8ra Open Source projects in Action
Our commitment to Open Source is put into practice through projects like NeoNephos, ONEnextgen and the Virt8ra initiative.
NeoNephos is a collaborative development environment for the 8ra framework that transforms the 8ra strategy into hardened, enterprise-ready software. Hosted by the Linux Foundation Europe, it provides a neutral, sustainable environment for over 11 projects—including the Apeiro Reference Architecture.
ONEnextgen by OpenNebula Systems is building Europe’s first open-source platform for the cloud-edge continuum. It enables companies to build flexible, private Edge-Cloud environments by aggregating resources from on-premises data centres, public clouds, and 5G providers.
The Virt8ra initiative by Fondazione Bruno Kessler provides a sovereign, vendor-neutral cloud-edge infrastructure testbed, allowing companies to experience and test interoperable digital management in a live environment.