In this article, we will feature a largely ignored cornerstone of digital transformation - the adoption of technology commons: open-source software, open hardware, open data, etc. Using the story of the Open Compute Project, currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, we illustrate how such ecosystems revolutionise industry foundations by removing market bottlenecks and transform technology development into collaborative efforts.
TECHNOLOGY COMMONS: THE INVISIBLE FORCE THAT SHAPED THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021, the Open Compute Project (OCP) offers a great illustration of forces at play deep within the technology world. It is an ecosystem that has transformed the foundations of the data centre sector.
Malcolm P. McLean is a truck driver who revolutionised the transportation industry when he invented the shipping container, the basic unit of transportation that powered the global trade growth during the last part of the 20th century. Awarded a patent for this invention, he was nevertheless conscious that the container needed to become a widely adopted standard, which pushed him to issue a royalty-free license of his invention to the Industrial Organization for Standardization (ISO). As this sparked a growth in the usage of containers, his company, SeaLand Industries, was in the best position to capture benefits from it and it became the largest cargo shipping business. This story illustrates how open designs and technology commons can change the foundation of an entire industry.
Years later, as technology became more widespread, open-source software, another form of technology common, became a dominant force. Today, the largest contributors to open-source software projects are companies such as Google, Facebook
