By now you may have heard the news: The OpenInfra Foundation Board has voted to take the next steps in joining forces with the Linux Foundation. As one who helped create the OpenInfra Foundation (originally as the OpenStack Foundation), this is an exciting moment, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about what’s ahead.

This move, unanimously approved by both boards, represents a natural evolution in how we collaborate across the open source infrastructure ecosystem. For those of us who have been part of OpenInfra’s journey from the beginning, this is more than just an organizational shift—it’s a recognition of how open source is built today and what’s needed to keep it thriving in the future.

To be clear, the OpenInfra Foundation isn’t changing how it operates. Our board, governance model, and community-first approach remain intact, spelled out in the organizing documents. But by joining with the Linux Foundation, we’re formally aligning with an ecosystem that our users and developers are already deeply engaged with. The fact is organizations are using multiple open source projects together—OpenStack, Kubernetes, Linux, PyTorch, and Ceph, among many others—and this move ensures that we can collaborate even more effectively across these technologies, supporting the evolving needs of modern infrastructure.

We’ve Been Building Toward This Moment for 15 Years

I was at Rackspace when OpenStack was launched in 2010, born out of Rackspace and Anso Labs, in collaboration with NASA. At the time, we had to decide where the project should live. Options were limited, and while the Linux Foundation had a strong model, it hadn’t yet evolved into the multi-project powerhouse we recognize today. So, we forged our own path, creating a foundation uniquely suited to OpenStack’s needs at the time.

Fast forward to today, as OpenStack celebrates its 15th birthday, the open source landscape looks very different. The Linux Foundation has expanded its model to foster large, complex ecosystems like the CNCF, which hosts Kubernetes among a growing suite of cloud native technologies, and OpenSSF, which tackles open source security. The infrastructure world has changed, too. OpenInfra projects like OpenStack and Kata Containers are deeply integrated with the broader open source stack, supporting workloads in AI, accelerated computing, and digital sovereignty. Now, it just makes sense for the OpenInfra Foundation and the Linux Foundation to join forces.

The Market is Driving Open Source Collaboration

Here’s the thing: our users have already figured this out. OpenInfra projects are running alongside Linux, Kubernetes, and PyTorch in production environments across industries. Enterprises, governments, and research institutions aren’t picking just one open source technology—they’re combining them to build modern, scalable, AI-ready infrastructure. That’s why we created the Open Infrastructure Blueprint, a collaborative framework that integrates these critical open source projects. The Linux Foundation is home to many of these technologies, so it makes perfect sense for us to be there, working side by side.

This move also strengthens open source’s role in the data center modernization wave. AI is redefining infrastructure needs, requiring more compute power, specialized hardware, and scalable, open platforms. OpenStack, Kubernetes, and PyTorch are at the center of this transformation. By aligning more closely with the Linux Foundation, we can accelerate the innovation happening across these projects and support the global demand for open infrastructure.

While open source has never been more successful, it’s also facing new challenges. Regulatory changes, security requirements, and geopolitical factors are reshaping the landscape. Open source projects can no longer afford to operate in isolation—we need shared resources to navigate these complexities together. That’s one of the biggest reasons this move makes sense right now. The Linux Foundation has built strong legal, security, and advocacy capabilities that benefit all of its projects. Rather than duplicating efforts, OpenInfra projects can now leverage these resources to stay ahead of evolving industry needs.

Here's to the Future of Open Source!

Over the past several months, I've been asked numerous times how I feel about this on a personal level, especially since I've devoted the last 15 years to OpenStack, the OpenInfra Foundation, and its projects and community. The answer is simple: I feel great about it! Certainly, I see this as a way to fuel the growth and momentum of OpenStack and other OpenInfra projects, but, ultimately, this is about more than OpenStack or OpenInfra—it’s about the future of open source. Joining forces with the Linux Foundation isn’t just a good move for our projects—it’s a fantastic move for open source as a whole, ensuring that open source continues to thrive well into the next millennium.