The dominate OS in datacenters is Linux and IBM wants the OS running on its hardware therefore IBM has pledged $1 billion to the Linux project.
“We continue to take share in Unix, but it’s just not growing as fast as Linux,” says Brad McCredie, an IBM vice president of Power development who also holds the title of fellow.
IBM is planning to formally disclose the investment at LinuxCon, an annual conference for developers and others this week in New Orleans. Though Linux is widely associated these days with servers, backers of the software are quick to point out that it is at the heart of Android, which is spreading like wildfire on smartphones and tablets.