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Shanghai is set to introduce and operate China’s first open-source platform geared toward international users next year, part of the city’s strategy to strengthen global knowledge connections. The initiative was revealed during a recent policy briefing by Qiu Wei, the chief engineer of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization. Alongside this, the city released a policy document detailing measures to foster the growth of its local open-source community.
As part of China’s broader technological ambitions, the platform aims to serve as a collaborative hub for developers worldwide, Chinese engineers, academic institutions, and businesses. This will allow global talent to contribute to and benefit from projects rooted in China.
The city plans to establish one to two influential international open-source communities within the next three to five years, incubate over 200 high-quality open-source projects, and attract more than three million developers globally. The overarching goal is to develop a robust open-source ecosystem characterized by strong technical support, comprehensive services, a balanced mix of talent, and a flourishing industry.
To attract global developers, Shanghai will enhance its environment by introducing incentive programs, expanding open-source education at universities, and building a worldwide intellectual network that enables extraordinary domestic and international talent to showcase their skills on the city’s platform.
The focus will also be on nurturing leading open-source businesses by streamlining the transition from community engagement to project development and industry integration. The aim is to cultivate a clear pathway from leading open-source projects to the creation of a technological ecosystem and industry leadership.
Moving forward, the city intends to strengthen its platform’s competitiveness in areas like technical services, community culture, and commercial operations. The strategy is to establish a comprehensive open-source infrastructure equipped with collaborative tools and services, so developers can focus on innovation while continuously incubating promising projects and technologies.
Supporting the development of open-source toolchains across all project phases is also a priority. Cities encourage companies to develop open-source software tools and back the creation of standardized interfaces compatible with international standards. Funding support of up to CNY 20 million (approximately USD 2.9 million) may be available for foundational tool development projects.
Furthermore, the city will target key sectors such as artificial intelligence, advanced chip design, high-end software, the metaverse, and next-generation internet technologies. It will aid enterprises in establishing specialized service platforms dedicated to collaborative project development, new technology validation, deployment, and operational activities.
“Open source is not just a hobby for programmers; it’s the backbone of the digital intelligence era. It provides companies with access to cutting-edge technology support in a more cost-effective and secure way,” said the founder and CEO of a cloud infrastructure company in an interview.
The city’s efforts aim to build an inclusive open-source ecosystem with complete tools and services that foster innovation, incubate emerging projects, and promote technological advancement.
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