Samsung Electronics Adopts International Open Source Standard

Samsung Electronics today announced the adoption of OpenChain ISO (International Organization for Standardization) / IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 5230:2020, the first international standard for open source compliance. The company joins a growing community of companies in the field of consumer electronics, automotive, cloud computing and telecommunications in using this standard to manage supply chains.

The OpenChain Project began in 2016 as an initiative of the Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization in the United States. It aims to establish an effective and consistent open source compliance system.

The OpenChain Project was adopted as an ISO / IEC international standard in 2020. The project evaluates each company’s open source compliance capabilities and grants certification if they met the criteria.

“Samsung Electronics leads the adoption and use of open source technology to create innovative products,” said Seungbeom Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Strategy Team at Samsung Electronics. “Underlying this are organizations and processes specifically established to safely and efficiently utilize open source. Our adoption of OpenChain ISO 5230 reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence in our field. Samsung Electronics is expected to enhance its credibility by receiving recognition for its capacity to utilize open source through this certification. We look forward to collaborating with other industry leaders around this standard.”

“Open source provides an unmatched platform for innovation,” said Shane Coughlan, General Manager of OpenChain. “To get the most out of this platform, the key is to have effective, efficient processes. OpenChain ISO 5230 delivers this for license compliance activities. We are delighted to welcome Samsung Electronics to our community of conformance. Their leadership in this area will help accelerate our mission throughout the supply chain.”

Since 2012, Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub that leads the development of future technologies for its consumer product business, has been conducting various activities for safe and efficient use of open source with specialized organizations and systems. The company has established a global integrated open source policy with global research institutes, and established a system to identify open source licenses and comply with obligations at the stage of development from software planning to implementation and verification, and have operated online / offline education programs to enhance the understanding of developers.