VK plans to make a wide range of its own IT developments publicly available. To do this, the company has registered the domains opensourcevk.ru and vkopensource.ru, which will contain links to the source code of its products. This step is aimed at increasing confidence in the company’s technologies, expanding their use and actively involving developers in joint projects.
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According to the Whois.ru resource, on November 5, VK registered the domains opensourcevk.ru and vkopensource.ru, which indicates the company’s readiness to actively develop its own open source software. According to a source close to the company, VK plans to officially announce a new strategy by the end of the year, which involves systematically publishing the program code of its developments on GitHub and, probably, on domestic Git platforms. Projects will be accompanied by detailed documentation, which will open up broad opportunities for the developer community, stimulating the exchange of experience, accelerating innovation and strengthening the trust of users and partners in the company.
VK’s plans include publishing IT systems, tools and libraries for developers, as well as AI models. One of VK’s already well-known Open Source solutions is Tarantool, a software package that combines an application server, hybrid data storage and scaling tools. This solution is used by such large Russian companies as Alfa-Bank, Gazprombank, VTB, MegaFon and Magnit, which confirms its effectiveness and relevance in the corporate environment.
VK also intends to open access to its AI models. An example is the AI model for speech synthesis presented at the ISCA international conference in France in 2023. This technology allows you to voice texts realistically and emotionally, eliminating the monotony of synthesized speech. The creation of such projects requires multi-million dollar investments and thousands of hours of specialist work, which emphasizes the seriousness of the Russian company’s intentions.
Ivan Panchenko, co-founder and deputy CEO of Postgres Professional, calls this step by VK bold, emphasizing that opening the source code indicates the high quality of software development. In his opinion, working together with the professional community makes it possible to solve more complex problems and take technologies to a new level. This approach has long been practiced by the world’s largest IT corporations, which confirms its effectiveness.
Thus, the Android operating system runs on 3.3 billion devices, the WordPress site content management system is used on more than 43% of websites, and the Nginx web server serves 34% of all sites on the Internet. According to MarketsandMarkets forecasts, the global market for open source software services will grow from $25.6 billion in 2022 to $54 billion by 2027. In Russia, according to Strategy Partners, the open source software market can reach a volume of 250 billion rubles. already by 2030.
Open source code is also a strategic tool for strengthening the HR brand of a Russian company. Following reports of mass layoffs in the fall of 2024, VK is seeking to restore its image as an attractive employer. Publication of Open Source projects and participation in international conferences demonstrate the company’s commitment to high technological standards and innovation, which attracts engineers and specialists looking for opportunities for professional growth.
However, despite the obvious advantages, working with Open Source projects requires significant resources. Developing universal and scalable solutions for public use increases company costs. However, experts consider such investments to be justified, since they contribute to the formation of an ecosystem of developers around the company’s products and stimulate innovation. For large players such as VK, this approach opens up the prospect of long-term technology leadership.
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