According to the latest "State of Open: The UK in 2023" report released by the UK open source non-profit organization OpenUK , the production capacity of open source software accounts for more than a quarter (27%) of the UK technology industry's gross value added (GVA) in 2022.
According to OpenUK, this may be the world's first GVA contribution analysis of open source software; the report reveals the economic and social benefits of open source products and information to the UK. OpenUK estimates the UK tech sector's GVA at £50.71bn in 2022, based on figures from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The value generated by open source-related products and services was then determined to be £13.59 billion, based on the average revenue that companies in the UK tech sector would generate from open source software in 2022.
The report also found that 44 percent of businesses will increase their investments in open source software over the next 12 months, while 47 percent expect their investments to remain the same. Only 2% of companies said they intend to reduce investment.
"If those intending to increase investment increased by the average amount invested in our sample, technology investment in the UK would rise by a further £225.2 million to £326.6 million."
Some other findings include:
- UK companies invested £326.6 million exclusively in open source.
- Skill development and collaboration have surpassed cost savings as the top benefits of open source.
- According to 27% of respondents, the biggest challenges facing open source are maintenance and security costs; followed by concerns about maintenance processes (24%), security issues (21%), and the cost of participating in the open source community (18%).
- As more organizations increase their use of open source and manage contributions at scale, corporate Open Source Program Offices (OPSOs) continue to grow. The percentage of respondents who have an open source program office (OSPO) or other team to manage open source contributions and use has risen from 11% in 2022 to 23% in 2023.
- The most popular open source software technologies are cloud and container infrastructure (68%), databases (65%), software tools (65%) and operating systems (64%).
According to Fieldfisher , the OpenUK research demonstrates the value and importance of open source to the UK economy and overall technological development. It also reveals that many businesses have yet to fully understand and maximize the benefits of open source, and that there are still substantial opportunities to embrace this resource and incorporate it into corporate strategy.
Amanda Brock, chief executive of OpenUK, said: "The level of value that open source software businesses contribute to the UK economy illustrates the importance of the open source industry to the UK economy, which is often overlooked. We need a better response from government departments to open source software." understanding so that appropriate regulation and investment support for the industry can drive the development of the UK's digital economy."
"When we put AI front and center, what we can see is that open source is fundamental to its democratization. I hope that by combining our leadership in open source and AI, it will eventually enable the UK to see The Potential of Open Source Software in the UK."
More details can be found in the full report .
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