CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company, has entered into a multi-year agreement to provide hosting and infrastructure services for kernel.org, the central hub for Linux kernel development. This partnership is set to enhance the stability and security of Linux, an open-source operating system integral to global digital infrastructure.
Linux, with its 28 million lines of code, is a collaborative effort involving over 13,500 developers from more than 1,300 companies since 2005. The operating system is fundamental to various technologies, from smartphones to supercomputers, and is critical for the operation of the internet and world’s stock exchanges.
Akamai’s support includes hosting the Git environments essential for developers to access and update the Linux kernel source code. The company’s cloud computing service and content delivery network (CDN) aim to provide a reliable platform for the constant code updates and distribution to Linux developers worldwide, at no cost to the project.
Alex Chircop, Chief Architect at Akamai Cloud and a member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s (CNCF) Technical Oversight Committee, emphasized Akamai’s reliance on Linux and its commitment to giving back to the community. He outlined the company’s contributions to the CNCF and its projects, highlighting Akamai’s role in supporting open-source software.
Chris Aniszczyk, Chief Technology Officer of CNCF, acknowledged Akamai’s active participation and contributions to the open-source community. He noted Akamai’s recent pledge of US$1 million in infrastructure credits to CNCF projects and its history of supporting key initiatives within the foundation.
In addition to hosting kernel.org, Akamai has announced it will provide infrastructure and delivery support for Alpine Linux, a widely-used Linux distribution. This effort further cements Akamai’s role in the open-source ecosystem following its acquisitions of Linode and Ondat, companies specializing in Linux cloud and Kubernetes-native storage solutions, respectively.
The Linux Kernel Organization, a California Public Benefit Corporation managed by The Linux Foundation, oversees the distribution of the Linux kernel and other open-source software at no charge. Akamai’s partnership with the organization is expected to ensure the uninterrupted development and maintenance of the Linux kernel, underscoring the company’s commitment to the open-source community.
This initiative is based on a press release statement from Akamai Technologies, Inc.
In other recent news, Akamai Technologies has introduced Akamai Cloud Inference, a new service aimed at enhancing AI application efficiency by leveraging its globally distributed cloud platform. This development is designed to improve the performance of predictive and large language models, offering improvements in throughput and latency while reducing costs. Additionally, Akamai has launched Akamai Cloud Accelerated Compute Instances, powered by NETINT Technologies’ video processing units, to address the demand for high-quality video streaming services. Oppenheimer has assumed coverage of Akamai with an Outperform rating and set a new price target of $100, citing a favorable outlook for the company’s growth, particularly in its Security and Compute portfolio. Meanwhile, Guggenheim has maintained its Buy rating on Akamai with a $133 price target, expressing confidence in the company’s strategy to expand its market leadership in CDN services into Security and Cloud solutions. However, S&P Global Ratings has revised Akamai’s outlook to negative due to increased leverage, despite affirming the company’s ’BBB+’ rating. This revision reflects concerns over Akamai’s rising debt levels and potential challenges in maintaining leverage below the 1.5x threshold. Despite these concerns, Akamai’s strategic positioning in cloud and security markets is expected to support long-term growth.
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