The OpenPOWER Foundation develops open standards and reference implementations for the POWER architecture ecosystem — from silicon through software.
Our technical work spans hardware architecture, firmware, operating systems, compilers, and AI acceleration — all built on the open POWER ISA.
The POWER Instruction Set Architecture is the foundation of the OpenPOWER ecosystem. Released as a fully open standard, the POWER ISA enables anyone to implement compliant processors without royalty payments.
OpenPOWER systems support open firmware stacks including Skiboot (OPAL), Petitboot bootloader, and coreboot — enabling full transparency from power-on through OS boot.
OpenPOWER processors are widely deployed in the world's most powerful supercomputers and AI research systems. The POWER architecture's memory bandwidth and NVLink support make it a leading platform for large-scale AI workloads.
The OpenPOWER Compliance Program enables hardware and software vendors to certify interoperability with the OpenPOWER specifications, providing confidence for deployers and end users.
The OpenPOWER Foundation sponsors and supports a rich ecosystem of open source software projects optimized for the POWER architecture, including compilers, runtimes, and system software.
Microwatt is an open source, synthesizable POWER ISA soft-core written in VHDL. It demonstrates that the open POWER ISA can be used for custom silicon and FPGA deployments.
Technical work happens through chartered Working Groups, each focused on a specific domain. All Working Groups are open to members and the public.
Maintains and evolves the POWER ISA specification. Reviews proposed extensions and updates.
Coordinates AI workload optimization, framework support, and accelerator integration for OpenPOWER.
Addresses security features, trusted boot, and vulnerability response for OpenPOWER platforms.
Covers OS, compiler, runtime, and toolchain work across the OpenPOWER software stack.
All OpenPOWER Foundation technical outputs are publicly available. Contributions are welcome from members and the broader community.
