Linux Foundation Launches Margo to Deliver Long-Awaited Edge Interoperability

SEATTLE, April 16, 2024 — The Linux Foundation is excited to announce the launch of Margo, a new open standard initiative for interoperability at the edge of industrial automation ecosystems. Drawing its name from the Latin word for edge, Margo defines the mechanisms for interoperability between edge applications, edge devices, and edge orchestration software. The open standard promises to bring much needed flexibility, simplicity, and scalability – unlocking barriers to innovation in complex, multi-vendor environments and accelerating digital transformation for organizations of all sizes.

Hosted by the Joint Development Foundation, a part of the Linux Foundation family, the initiative is supported by some of the largest automation ecosystem providers globally, including founding members ABB (including B&R), Capgemini, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric (including AVEVA) and Siemens. The group invites like-minded industry peers to join the collaboration and contribute to building a meaningful and effective interoperability standard that will help customers achieve their digital transformation goals with greater speed and efficiency.

“At the core of Margo development is a commitment to delivering interoperability in a modern and agile way,” said Bart Nieuwborg, Chair of the Margo Initiative and Senior Program Manager, Rockwell Automation. “A comprehensive open-source reference implementation aims to facilitate the adoption, and the associated compliance test toolkit will ensure the trust in Margo’s interoperability promise, paving the way for the industry to tap the full potential of, for example, data and AI at the edge.”

“The idea that users should be free to create the best solution for their needs without unnecessary constraints, costs, or delays embodies the spirit of open-source collaboration,” said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation. “Open interoperability among a wide selection of apps and devices will reduce the need for specialized resources and streamline the deployment, scaling and operation of multi-vendor ecosystems.”

Margo is set to transform the way systems and providers interoperate, fostering growth and value generation within the industrial automation ecosystem. To learn more about Margo and how you can participate, please visit www.margo.org. Interested participants are invited to attend the Capgemini booth at Hannover Messe on Tuesday April 23rd, for an in-depth presentation about Margo at 11:00 AM CEST. More details about the event can be found here.

About the Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, OpenChain, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

Source: The Linux Foundation