Preface

Since 2015, when Kaiyuanshe first released the "China Open-Source Ecosystem Report," the "China Open-Source Annual Report" has now reached its 10th year. Except for a brief pause in 2017, Kaiyuanshe has consistently followed an open collaboration approach, inviting partners from academia, industry, and the open-source community to contribute. Each year, as the new chapter of open source unfolds, the report provides insights into the past year’s trends, offering a comprehensive panorama of China’s open-source ecosystem.

As China's only open source annual report initiated by a completely neutral nonprofit organization, its significance goes far beyond simple data analysis or trend forecasting. The report documents the growth and flourishing of open source technologies, culture, and communities in China, highlighting the vital role open source plays in driving technological innovation, industrial upgrades, and social collaboration. Additionally, with the release of English and Japanese versions supported by the community, it provides the global open source community with a window to engage with and understand open source in China, building a bridge between China and the global community.

Turning back to the 2024 China Open Source Annual Report, open source AI remains a key highlight. Since ChatGPT’s groundbreaking debut at the end of 2022, 2023 became a pivotal year for the development of artificial intelligence. By 2024, the explosive growth of open source AI has completely reshaped industry norms—shifting from technological monopolies to collective creation, from lab innovations to real-world applications. A paradigm shift in AI, driven by open source, is now fully underway. As a result, the 2024 China Open Source Annual Report has decided to dedicate a standalone section, "Open Source AI," to present this topic to readers in a more comprehensive way.

At the same time, the explosive growth of open source artificial intelligence is reflected across multiple chapters in this report, such as:

• In the Questionnaire chapter, we see that in the word cloud generated from the open-ended question on "open source keywords," the most prominent terms are AI, artificial intelligence, and large models.
• In the Data Analytics chapter, after the growth rate of active developers on GitHub slowed between 2022 and 2023, it has now begun to rebound—possibly driven by the influx of new developers brought by emerging technologies such as AI and Web3. Meanwhile, the development of generative AI open source projects is gradually entering the competitive phase of a saturated market.
• In the Commercialization chapter, while capital investment in open source has become more cautious, AI and open source software offer a glimmer of hope during the industry's "winter."
• After "Open Source Artificial Intelligence" was separated into its own chapter in this year's report, the Open Source Chronicle chapter now focuses primarily on major events unrelated to AI technology development. Yet, AI's influence remains pervasive—from AI writing code, to geopolitics fragmenting technology ecosystems, to legal rulings defining the boundaries of open source. We are standing at a critical turning point in the history of open source development. This compilation of open source chronicles—encompassing technological breakthroughs, security warnings, commercial exploration, and policy reflections—is intended to serve as a beacon for China's open source participants navigating this era of transformation. After all, the rules of tomorrow's open source ecosystem will be written by the practitioners of today.
• ……

In addition to AI as a key highlight, this report introduces several innovations across multiple dimensions, making it well worth the readers' attention:

• In the Data Analytics Chapter, we conducted a series of updates:

  • OpenDigger introduced new tagging data for national and sub-national administrative divisions (provinces, states) worldwide, updating the global and domestic developer rankings to rankings based on the number and influence of developers at the sub-national level.
  • OpenDigger added hundreds of project-level tags, enabling the creation of the 2024 Global Emerging Projects Ranking, which includes only projects newly open-sourced in 2024.
  • OpenDigger incorporated tagging data for over 1,000 companies, leading to the addition of Commercial Open Source Insights.
  • OpenDigger added tagging data for OSPP (Open Source Promotion Plan) from 2022 to 2024, resulting in the inclusion of University Open Source Insights.

• In the Data Analytics Chapter, we expanded on the previous sections—Overall Macro Insights, OpenRank Rankings, Enterprise Insights, Foundation Insights, Technology Domain Insights, Open Source Project Insights, and Developer Insights—by adding two new sections: Commercial Open Source Insights and University Open Source Insights.

  • The Commercial Open Source Insights section focuses on the current state and trends of commercial open source companies and projects in China and globally, analyzing the performance and growth trajectories of commercial open source enterprises.
  • The University Open Source Insights section covers the OSPP (Open Source Promotion Plan) activities and, using the OpenRank community algorithm and its metrics, analyzes the performance of participating universities and students, highlighting trends in student participation in open source activities.
  • Additionally, in the Open Source Project Insights section, we have, for the first time, used OSGraph to visualize the community collaboration networks of open source projects.

• In the Commercialization Chapter, we adopted an interview format for the first time. We interviewed several experts specializing in open source technology, foundational software, and cloud services. Through these conversations, we summarized and analyzed the development of the open source software field over the past few years, as well as predictions for the future of the capital market. The experts also candidly shared their professional insights into the field, along with their experiences and perspectives on the commercialization and growth of open source enterprises.

As we celebrate the ten-year milestone of Kaiyuanshe and the "China Open Source Annual Report," we have come to a deeper realization that this is not just an annual report—it is a practice of open collaboration. It is also a tribute to the open source spirit by the volunteers who, year after year, contribute to compiling report content, analyzing data, managing projects, and designing layouts.

Over the past ten years, we have consistently upheld our commitment to open collaboration, striving to ensure that each report stays attuned to the pulse of the times and meets the expectations of our readers. This year, we have introduced more innovations in both content and format, hoping to provide you with a refreshing reading experience. Whether you are a practitioner, observer, or fellow traveler in the realm of open source, we hope this report brings you inspiration and insight as we witness the vibrant future of China's open source ecosystem together.

—— Nadia Jiang, 2024 Chairperson of the Board at KAIYUANSHE

With this report, we extend our sincerest gratitude to the volunteers who have contributed to the compilation of content, data analysis, project management, and layout design over the past ten years.