Mercedes-Benz announced that it is driving digital transformation and aims to establish itself as a leading automobile manufacturer in digitization.
The German brand recognizes that the use of free and open-source software (FOSS) plays a crucial role in the development of vehicles and integrated software. In a statement, Mercedes-Benz states that “free and open-source software is present in vehicles, mobile applications, and company software,” emphasizing that Mercedes-Benz uses open-source technologies to accelerate innovation, increase software development efficiency, and promote the use of existing components.”
To achieve the goal of being a leader in digitization, Mercedes-Benz encourages its programmers not only to use FOSS but also to contribute to existing open-source projects and publish new projects of their own. “At the beginning of 2021, with the Mercedes-Benz FOSS Manifesto, the company established internal standards and created the opportunity to open up to the global FOSS community at the same time. The company aims to expand its participation in the open-source community.”
Mercedes-Benz promotes awareness of open-source and internal code through organizational functions, online training, and a series of internal lectures on knowledge exchange. “More than 10,000 active users work on collaboration platforms at Mercedes-Benz. The company is driving the development of the digital ecosystem through daily use of FOSS,” adds the statement from the German brand.