India is now recognized as a significant force in the open-source world, securing its place among the top five contributors to Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) projects. This achievement highlights India's rapidly growing influence and expertise in cloud-native technologies.

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), which oversees projects like Kubernetes, has acknowledged India's increasing role in the open-source community. Jonathan Bryce, the Executive Director of CNCF, noted that India's contributions are steadily climbing, emphasizing the country's "massive and very strong software development scene". He also pointed out that numerous companies, such as Red Hat, have large engineering teams in India actively participating in CNCF projects. In addition to these, service companies are also boosting the adoption of CNCF's open-source technology. These companies play a crucial role in assisting international enterprises in implementing CNCF technologies internally. An example Bryce cited was Infosys' work with a U.S.-based automaker, which involved implementing a platform engineering system that led to $5 million in annual savings by significantly reducing developer onboarding time.

India's rise in the open-source arena is supported by a rapidly expanding developer base. Recent data indicates that India boasts the second-largest pool of open-source developers globally and experienced the fastest growth in 2025. This surge in developer activity is transitioning India from being primarily a consumer of open-source solutions to a key contributor and leader in the field. This shift is further fueled by the Indian government's policy favoring open source for critical infrastructure, which encourages widespread adoption and contribution.

The Linux Foundation (LF) has also played a crucial role in nurturing India's open-source ecosystem. By launching Linux Foundation India, the organization aims to connect Indian innovation with global collaboration, focusing on essential infrastructure areas such as finance, telecom, blockchain, security, AI, cloud, and Edge/IoT technologies. This initiative enables developers to collaborate on India-specific projects, accelerating innovation and addressing unique local challenges.

Furthermore, Indian organizations are now donating cutting-edge AI projects to global communities, marking a significant step towards leadership in open source. Infosys, for example, has contributed AI frameworks to LF Networking, showcasing India's growing capabilities in developing and sharing advanced technologies.

The increasing engagement of Indian developers and organizations in open source is not only benefiting the global tech community but also driving digital transformation within India. Open-source solutions are being integrated into e-governance policies and digital public infrastructure, benefiting non-technical communities through initiatives like Digi Yatra and the e-rupee.

As India's open-source ecosystem continues to mature, the country is expected to play an even greater role in shaping the future of technology. With a strong developer base, supportive government policies, and the active involvement of organizations like CNCF and the Linux Foundation, India is well-positioned to lead open-source innovation and contribute to global technological advancements.