Akamai picks up the hosting of kernel.org, bringing long-term
stability to development and maintenance of the open source Linux
operating system
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 27,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Development work on the
Linux kernel — the core software that underpins the open source
Linux operating system — has a new infrastructure partner in Akamai
(NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that
powers and protects business online. The company's cloud computing
service and content delivery network (CDN) will support kernel.org,
the main distribution system for Linux kernel source code and the
primary coordination vehicle for its global developer network.
Akamai signed a multi-year agreement with the Linux Kernel
Organization to provide infrastructure services to the project and
its global cohort of developers. The work of these engineers — many
of whom work as volunteers — is critical to maintaining the
security and performance of the world's most widely deployed open
source operating system. Linux and its derivatives are used by most
if not all governments, research laboratories, nonprofit
organizations, and corporations globally. It powers smartphones,
industrial devices, consumer products, and the data centers that
enable cloud computing. It also runs most of the internet, all of
the world's top 500 supercomputers, and the world's stock
exchanges.
The Linux kernel is massive — approximately 28 million lines of
code. Since 2005, more than 13,500 developers from more than 1,300
different companies have contributed to the Linux kernel.
Additionally, there are many kernel versions, and developers update
the code constantly, distributing that code to developers who are
working on various distributions of Linux. Akamai now delivers the
infrastructure that these developers and their users rely on, at no
cost, supporting the Git environments developers use to access
kernel sources quickly, regardless of where they're based.
"Like the rest of the world, Akamai depends on Linux. By
supporting kernel.org, we're giving back to the community, just as
we've done via our commitments to the Cloud Native Computing
Foundation (CNCF)," said Alex
Chircop, Chief Architect, Akamai Cloud, and member of the
CNCF's Technical Oversight Committee. "The foundation of our cloud
platform is built on a long history of Linux and open source
technologies. It's the Lin in Linode. By providing stable, secure,
and unwavering support for kernel.org, we're doing our part to
contribute to the preservation of the world's most widely deployed
open source software, Linux."
"Akamai has deep roots in the open source community," said
Chris Aniszczyk, Chief Technology
Officer of CNCF. "As an important member of CNCF, they have
actively contributed to key projects, including OpenTelemetry,
Argo, and Prometheus, and donated US$1
million in infrastructure credits for compute infrastructure
projects. The support they are providing the Linux kernel further
showcases the company's long-standing stewardship and commitment to
the people and software who make open source projects what they are
today."
Akamai is a Gold Member of the CNCF and a Platinum Sponsor of
KubeCon — and, earlier this year, Akamai pledged US$1 million to CNCF projects. Akamai developers
have contributed to the Linux kernel to make it more secure, are
active contributors to several CNCF-hosted projects, and have
participated in projects that have won the Levchin Prize for
Real-World Cryptography. In 2022, Akamai acquired Linux cloud
pioneer Linode, followed by Ondat in 2023, a cloud-based storage
technology provider with a Kubernetes-native platform for running
stateful applications anywhere at scale. The cloud company is
certified as part of CNCF's Certified Kubernetes Conformance
Program. Its Linode Kubernetes Engine is a fully managed K8s
container orchestration engine for deploying and managing
containerized applications and workloads.
Akamai also announced that it is providing infrastructure and
delivery support for Alpine Linux, one of the most popular Linux
distributions.
About Akamai
Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud
computing company that powers and protects business online. Our
market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence,
and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard
enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai's full-stack
cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on
the world's most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust
Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and
expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn
more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai
Technologies on X and LinkedIn.
About The Linux Kernel Organization
The Linux Kernel
Organization is a California Public Benefit Corporation established
in 2002 to distribute the Linux kernel and other open source
software to the public without charge. Recognized as a 501(c)3
private operating foundation, the Linux Kernel Organization is
managed by The Linux Foundation, which provides full technical,
financial, and staffing support for running and maintaining the
kernel.org infrastructure.
Contacts
Akamai Media Relations
akamaipr@akamai.com
Akamai Investor Relations
invrel@akamai.com
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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.
