Open Source Summit is a technical conference that attracts a specialized audience: developers, engineers, system architects, technical leaders, and representatives of open-source organizations working on the development of the open-source ecosystem. It is an important meeting place for the open-source community, enabling knowledge sharing, exchange of ideas, and the initiation of collaborations. For sponsors, the forum offers an excellent opportunity to engage directly with decision-makers shaping the future of open-source innovation.

This year’s edition took place at RAI Amsterdam, a venue perfectly suited for the scale of the event. For us at SolDevelo, it was a chance not only to follow the latest industry trends but also to build connections and share experiences with people who see open source as both a passion and a professional mission.

Open Source Summit Europe: The agenda

The agenda was exceptionally broad and diverse. The two most frequently mentioned issues were:

• AI and AI agents – by far the most frequently discussed topic, with sessions ranging from high-level visions to practical applications in automation.
  
• Software supply chain security – with emphasis on holistic risk management and continuous auditing of dependencies.

Alongside these, there were highly technical sessions dedicated to the Linux kernel, Kubernetes, and embedded systems. Although session descriptions sometimes diverged from actual content, there was always something valuable to learn. Planning the day was made easier thanks to the Sched application, which allowed us to manage our agenda efficiently.

Conference Organization and Networking Atmosphere

From an organizational standpoint, the conference was flawless. Clear thematic tracks, easy navigation around the venue, access to coffee and lunch breaks – all of this created the conditions to focus entirely on knowledge and networking. Everything ran on schedule and with a high level of professionalism.

The atmosphere was equally impressive. Most participants, including speakers, were open to conversations and ready to share their perspectives. Speed networking sessions stood out as a highlight – they were well moderated, designed to break the ice, and gave us the chance to build new connections in both group and 1:1 settings. The only downside was the lack of a proper relaxation area between sessions and the fact that it was really crowded at times.

Open Source Trends 2025

During Open Source Summit Europe, several strong trends shaped the conversation, each of them pointing to the direction in which the industry is heading.

Cloud Native and comprehensive solutions for open source

All major cloud providers (AWS, Google, Microsoft) are heavily promoting their managed enterprise services for open source projects. There is a strong push to create ecosystems where open source becomes the foundation for commercial services, from cluster management to supply chain security, with a growing emphasis on cloud observability to improve visibility, reliability, and performance of complex distributed systems.

Security as a foundation, not an add-on

Software supply chain security emerged as a stand-alone product category. Sessions highlighted the risks hidden in dependencies: it’s not enough for our own code to be secure; we must also manage the security, licensing, and performance risks of all the components we integrate. Best practices discussed included cyclical reviews of dependencies, daily/monthly updates, and “slimming down” software to reduce exposure. This is an important insight for us: in a world where software is increasingly composed of distributed components, continuous monitoring and remediation are becoming mandatory.

AI and AI Agents dominating the narrative

During the conference, a clear trend toward AI agents became evident – oldschool approaches based on RAGs or simple LLM queries are increasingly insufficient. Currently, the focus is on intelligent agents capable of performing specialized tasks, communicating with each other, and using a wide range of commands, creating systems with significant agency. The program included an overview of available open-source tools, practical guidance on working with agents, demo presentations, and examples of products developed by companies in this field. There were also tips on ensuring safety and using this technology responsibly.

Monitoring, observability, and resilience

In the context of cloud-native and large-scale distributed systems, the demand for real-time monitoring, compliance, and observability tools was evident. Companies showcased solutions designed to detect issues before they hit production, ensuring both security and performance.

Open Source: the backbone of today’s digital economy

At the conference, a clear trend highlighted the crucial role of Open Source across various sectors and projects. The focus was on the importance of supporting open source communities and projects, emphasizing that they form the foundation of modern IT infrastructure and are essential for nearly all of today’s technology-driven economy.

SolDevelo’s Reflections

From our perspective, the key insight is that clients don’t simply buy isolated services – they expect comprehensive solutions to their business problems. At the end of the day, what matters is addressing the client’s challenge holistically. It’s not just about the code itself, but the entire experience built around it, including security, performance, and usability. This shows that potential clients’ needs are far broader and more complex than we might have previously assumed – they want fully functional solutions to their problems, not disconnected actions.

A trend that we observed across the sponsor landscape is the move to monetize open source not through traditional licensing but through value-added services. Companies are providing enterprise-grade support, certifications, security, and scalability for open-source projects, turning them into reliable, commercially viable products. Many companies we met structured their offer around a core open-source product and only then added services and partnerships around it. This is an important tip for us: it’s worth developing and maintaining our own tools alongside our service portfolio.

Security as a pillar of strategy – not an extra, it has become a primary, commercially viable product offering. This trend is a direct consequence of open source becoming a mission-critical component of enterprise software stacks. As companies integrate open-source components, the need for professional-grade security solutions – complete with certifications, SLAs, and continuous vulnerability remediation – has created a multi-billion dollar market. This is a clear indication that for enterprises, the ability to build on a secure, trusted, and well-maintained open-source foundation is paramount.

The conference emphasized also the critical role of community as the driving force behind open source. Many sessions highlighted the community as a shared global resource, where contributions, collaboration, and collective stewardship form the foundation that ensures the sustainability of open source.

Was Attending Open Source Summit Europe Worth It?

Such a conference can be an impulse to reflect on how our offers and everyday activities align with current trends. In our daily work, we usually focus on completing tasks and getting things done, but stepping outside of that routine opens up the mind, broadens perspectives, and allows us to draw interesting conclusions.

As one of the keynote speaker – Margaret Heffernan – said in her talk “Embracing Uncertainty” – to create good products, whether in IT or any other industry, one needs to explore different places and gather as many experiences as possible, in order to be inspired by others and learn from their experiences. It’s essential to discover new perspectives, understand customer needs, and connect with communities. That is exactly what we achieved at this conference. And inspired by this event, we are making further travel plans – our delegation will be present, among others, at the OpenMRS 2025 Implementers’ Conference taking place on September 15-19 in Uganda.

Exploring Amsterdam added another dimension to the trip. The city, famous for its bicycles and canals, offered a unique atmosphere of calm in the middle of a bustling metropolis. What we had often heard about Amsterdam’s cycling culture proved even more striking in reality – in the mornings, cyclists dominated the streets, moving in long lines along designated bike lanes, while cars and even pedestrians were in the minority. Amsterdam’s numerous parks and green spaces added to the city’s charm and made it easy to find places to relax after an intense conference day. And thanks to conversations with local participants and their tips on places worth visiting, our stay brought even more positive impressions!