Wisevoter
World

OpenSearch Report Highlights AI Workload Growth

A new industry report shows significant adoption of OpenSearch for generative AI and LLM-powered applications.

Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Isometric editorial illustration of stacked, blocky modular server units in deep teal, oxblood, and mustard, representing data infrastructure growth.
The 2026 Open Data Infrastructure Report indicates that 62% of OpenSearch users have shifted their platform focus toward generative AI and LLM workloads. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Is now a good time for businesses to transition to open, vendor-neutral data infrastructure?

Linux Foundation Research and the OpenSearch Software Foundation published the 2026 Open Data Infrastructure Report, revealing that 62% of OpenSearch users now leverage the platform for AI workloads. The survey of 294 respondents also highlights that generative AI and LLM-powered tools account for 82% of organizational AI use cases.

Why it matters

Organizations increasingly prioritize vendor-neutral infrastructure to reduce financial and architectural risk, with 71% favoring multi-cloud flexibility. Cost and vendor independence remain critical decision drivers for firms managing annual infrastructure budgets averaging $2.4 million.

The report reveals that 91% of active users utilize search and retrieval functions, while 82% of organizational AI use cases are focused on generative AI and LLM technologies.

The players

Linux Foundation

This nonprofit organization provides open-source project governance and hosts the OpenSearch Software Foundation.

OpenSearch Software Foundation

Launched in 2024, this entity manages the vendor-neutral governance of the open-source OpenSearch platform.

Intel

The semiconductor giant has joined the OpenSearch Software Foundation to support open data infrastructure development.

AWS

The cloud provider created OpenSearch under the Apache 2.0 license as a direct response to Elasticsearch relicensing.

The details

Intel has joined the OpenSearch Software Foundation as a new member, supporting the platform's role as a vendor-neutral alternative following Elasticsearch's 2021 relicensing. Production deployments of the software have nearly doubled to 36% in two years, reflecting a shift toward open infrastructure.

Timeline

  1. 2021: Elasticsearch and Kibana transitioned to a new license.

  2. September 2024: The Linux Foundation established the OpenSearch Software Foundation.

  3. May 2026: The data infrastructure survey was conducted among 294 respondents.

  4. 2026: The Open Data Infrastructure Report was officially published.

The Tech Race

The transition to the OpenSearch Software Foundation follows the 2021 relicensing of Elasticsearch, illustrating a broad industry shift toward vendor-neutral open-source tools. This movement serves as a direct competitive response to proprietary licensing changes in the data infrastructure sector.

Users can expect increased platform stability and vendor-neutral support as major industry players like Intel contribute to the software. These shifts provide businesses with greater long-term flexibility when choosing infrastructure providers for complex AI applications.

The takeaway

The rapid increase in production deployments suggests that open-source data platforms are becoming standard for managing modern AI workloads. Organizations looking to minimize vendor lock-in should monitor the governance contributions of new foundation members as a signal of platform health.

Further reading

For more background on how developers are utilizing modern tooling, visit the Artificial Intelligence section.

Live Poll

Is now a good time for businesses to transition to open, vendor-neutral data infrastructure?