Celebrating 20 Years of Google Summer of Code

Nurturing the Next Generation of Open Source Contributors

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, open source software development plays a pivotal role in fostering innovation and collaboration on a global scale. For 20 years the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) program has introduced and nurtured new contributors entering the open source community. At All Things Open 2024, we’re excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of GSoC, and reflect on some of the contributions this initiative has made to the world of software development.

About the Google Summer of Code program

Since its inception in 2005, one of GSoC’s goals has been to act as a bridge between aspiring developers and the open source ecosystem. The program's core principle revolves around mentorship; pairing participants with experienced developers from open source organizations of all shapes and sizes. GSoC has facilitated the connection of over 21,000 contributors from 123 countries. In 2005, the program reached over 200 contributors from 51 countries––a 10,400% increase in 20 years! This global reach underscores the program's commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse open source community.

Over the years, participants have collectively produced over 43 million lines of code, and contributed to the development and health of over 1,000 open source organizations. This substantial body of work not only strengthens the foundation of open source projects, but also shows the program's effectiveness by empowering new developers to make meaningful contributions.

GSoC's Impact: Bridging the gap between aspiring developers and open source

GSoC has far-reaching positive effects extending beyond the participants accepted into the program. For organizations, the GSoC application process itself acts as a catalyst for positive change in their communities. To apply, they must refine their documentation, develop newcomer-friendly tasks, and foster a collaborative environment to define potential projects. These efforts strengthen their communities, enhance organization, and create a more welcoming space for new members. Even when their application isn't accepted, organizations and contributors that don't make it into the program continue to benefit from these improvements.

Similarly, developers who apply to GSoC gain valuable insights. They discover open source projects aligned with their interests and realize the vast and exciting landscape of open source work. Many even go on to contribute to these projects independently, outside the formal GSoC structure.

The impact of GSoC extends beyond numbers. Participants tell us that one of the most significant aspects of GSoC is the invaluable learning experience it offers. Through their 12+ week programming projects, contributors gain exposure to real-world software development practices, coding standards, and collaboration techniques. The guidance and mentorship provided by seasoned open source developers enables participants to hone their skills, build confidence, and develop a deeper understanding of the open source ethos.

The value of mentorship and learning within the open source community

For participating organizations, GSoC serves as a valuable pipeline for identifying and attracting fresh perspectives. Many GSoC contributors continue to engage with their new communities long after the program concludes, becoming active members, maintainers, and even mentors themselves; in fact, GSoC has had more than 20,000 mentors hailing from 138 countries. This cycle of learning and contribution perpetuates the growth and sustainability of the open source ecosystem. We’re excited to build an even deeper connection with our GSoC alumni in 2025 to help strengthen the long term contributor and maintainer community further.

Celebrating 20 Years of GSoC

With the 20th anniversary of Google Summer of Code, we celebrate the program's enduring tradition as a catalyst for open source innovation. By providing a platform for collaboration, mentorship, and skill development, GSoC has empowered countless individuals to embark on fulfilling careers in software development while simultaneously enriching the open source ecosystem.

Join me at Google’s All Things Open keynote to learn more about GSoC and celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Posted by Timothy Jordan – Director, Developer Relations & Open Source, Google

Keys to a resilient Open Source future

In today’s world, free and open source software is a critical component of almost every software solution. Research shows that 70% of modern software relies on open source components, with over 97% of applications leveraging open source code. Unsurprisingly, 90% of companies are using or applying open source code in some form.

These statistics highlight the importance of open source software in modern technology and software development. At the same time, they demonstrate that as its relevance grows, so do the challenges associated with keeping it safe. At Open Source Summit EU, we discussed these challenges and how open source security could be improved. Let’s begin by breaking down the landscape of open source.

The open source ecosystem is fragmented, with diverse languages, build systems, and testing pipelines, making it difficult to maintain consistent security standards. This fragmentation forces developers to juggle multiple roles, such as managing security vulnerabilities, often without adequate tools and support. As a result, inconsistencies and security gaps arise, leaving open source projects vulnerable to attacks. Creating consistent security practices across the board is key to addressing vulnerabilities, which standardization helps to minimize while streamlining the development process.

Google’s SLSA (Supply Chain Levels for Software Artifacts) framework and OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities) schemas are prime examples of how de facto standardization can transform open source security. SLSA has united several companies to create a standard that enables developers to improve their supply chain security posture, helping prevent attacks like those experienced by SolarWinds and Codecov.

The OSV schema has also been successful, with more than 20 language ecosystems adopting it. This schema allows vulnerabilities to be exported in a precise, machine-readable format, making them easier to manage and address. Thanks to its standardized format, over 150,000 vulnerabilities in open source software have been aggregated and made accessible to anyone in the world via a single API call.

However, many tasks remain manual, making them time-consuming and more prone to human error. Developers must integrate multiple tools at different stages of the software development cycle. The future of open source security lies in creating a fully integrated platform—a tool suite that integrates the best-in-industry tools and solutions, and provides simple hooks for continuous operation in the CI/CD system. Automation is crucial.

The key to revolutionizing open source security is AI, as it can automate manual and error-prone tasks, and reduce the burden on developers.

Google has already started leveraging AI in open source security by successfully using it to write and improve fuzzer unit tests. Google's OSS-Fuzz has been a game changer with a 40% increase in code coverage for over 160 projects. Since its inception, it has identified over 12,000 vulnerabilities with a 90% fix rate. Its effectiveness is due to its close integration with the developer’s workflow, testing the latest commits and helping to fix regressions quickly.

While AI remains an area of active research, and it has not yet solved all security challenges, Google is eager to collaborate with the community to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve in open source security.

Google's approach to open source security is now focused on long-term thinking and scalable solutions. To make a meaningful difference at scale, it is focusing on three key aspects:

• Simplifying and applying security best practices consistently: Common, usable standards are key to reducing vulnerabilities and maintaining a secure ecosystem.

• Developing an intelligent and integrated platform: A seamless, integrated platform that automates security tasks and naturally integrates into the developer workflow.

• Leveraging AI to accelerate and enhance security: Reducing the workload on developers and catching vulnerabilities that might go undetected.

By maintaining this focus and continuing to collaborate with the community, Google and the open source ecosystem can ensure that FOSS remains a secure, reliable foundation for the software solutions of tomorrow.

By Abhishek Arya – Principal Engineer, Open Source and Supply Chain Security

Google Open Sources Smart Buildings Simulator and Dataset to Accelerate Sustainable Innovation

In our ongoing commitment to sustainability and technological advancement, Google is excited to announce a significant step forward in the realm of smart buildings. Today, we are open-sourcing two invaluable resources:

1. TensorFlow Smart Buildings Simulator: A powerful tool designed to train reinforcement learning agents to optimize energy consumption and minimize carbon emissions in buildings.

2. Smart Buildings Dataset: A comprehensive collection of six years of telemetry data from three Google buildings, providing real-world insights for developing and validating optimal control solutions.

Empowering the Future of Smart Buildings

Buildings account for a substantial portion of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. As we strive to create a more sustainable future, optimizing the energy efficiency of buildings is paramount. Artificial intelligence and machine learning offer promising solutions, and Google is dedicated to accelerating progress in this field.

The TensorFlow Smart Buildings Simulator provides researchers and developers with a realistic and customizable environment to train reinforcement learning agents. These agents can learn to make intelligent decisions about heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems, balancing occupant comfort with energy efficiency and carbon reduction goals. By open-sourcing this simulator, we aim to empower the community to develop innovative control strategies that can be applied to real-world buildings.

Complementing the simulator, the Smart Buildings Dataset offers a wealth of real-world data collected from three Google buildings over six years. This dataset encompasses a wide range of telemetry, including temperature, humidity, occupancy, lighting levels, and energy consumption. By making this data available, we hope to enable researchers to develop data-driven models, validate their simulations, and gain deeper insights into the complex dynamics of building systems.

Collaboration for a Sustainable Future

We believe that open collaboration is key to driving innovation and progress in the smart buildings domain. By open-sourcing these resources, Google aims to foster a vibrant ecosystem of researchers, academics, and industry professionals working together to enhance sustainability and advance the field of smart buildings.

We envision universities leveraging these resources to conduct cutting-edge research, develop new algorithms, and train the next generation of engineers. Industry partners can utilize the simulator and dataset to test and validate their solutions, accelerate development cycles, and bring more efficient and sustainable products to market.

Google's Commitment to Sustainability

This open-source initiative aligns with Google's broader commitment to sustainability. We have set ambitious goals to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions across all our operations and value chain by 2040. By sharing our tools and data, we hope to contribute to a global effort to reduce the environmental impact of buildings and create a more sustainable future for all.

Get Involved

We invite researchers, developers, and industry professionals to explore these open-source resources and join us in our mission to build a more sustainable world. Together, we can harness the power of AI and data to transform the way we design, operate, and interact with buildings, creating a future where energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

• TensorFlow Smart Buildings Simulator on GitHub
• Smart Buildings Dataset

Let's collaborate, innovate, and build a brighter future for smart buildings!

By John Sipple – Google Core Enterprise Machine Learning Team