Google has teamed up with the Linux Foundation to create a new initiative called the Chromium Browser Supporters. Currently, most of the funds that support Chromium, the open source web browser project that created the code base for Chrome, come from Google. The company says it has no intention of reducing its contribution in the future, but it also continues to “welcome others who are willing to invest more.”
According to the Linux Foundation, the new initiative is aimed at funding the open development of Chromium projects and ensuring that contributions that can lead to technological progress are properly supported. It also aims to provide a “neutral space” where developers, academics, and major industry players can work together. In addition to Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Opera have also pledged to support the initiative.
Google said that it established the new program after hearing from “many companies and developers about how important the Chromium project is to their work” and that they would like to provide more than direct technical support for it over the years. Chrome is just one of the browsers built on Chromium – Microsoft Edge and Opera are also based on the project’s codebase, so their participation in the initiative comes as no surprise.
It is worth noting that the US Department of Justice called for the breakup of Google last year, including the sale of the Chrome web browser. In its statement, Google noted that it intends to continue supporting the Chromium project, but only time will tell whether the sale of Chrome will affect its contribution.
