OpenKylin: China’s Open Desktop Operating System Platform and Its Role in Information Security

It is well known that chips and operating systems have long been our weak points, and recent sanctions on several technology companies have made more people realize that core technology must be mastered independently.

According to CCTV News, China’s first desktop operating system developer platform “OpenKylin” has been officially released. The platform, jointly established by the National Industrial Information Security Development Center and other units, aims to create an open‑source desktop operating system with independent innovation.

Today, more and more domestic operating systems are entering the public eye. Over ten domestic OSes are available, including UOS (UnionTech), HarmonyOS, PuHua Software, ZTE Xinzhidian, China Fangde, Huawei Euler, etc., most of which are secondary developments based on Linux. While the gradual popularization of domestic OSes is positive, breakthroughs in core technology are still needed.

OpenKylin’s developer platform will open the OS source code, allowing more developers to participate in the development of the domestic open‑source operating system.

In short, “OpenKylin” is the open‑source root community for domestic desktop operating systems, where all developers can co‑build and share the open‑source code and develop applications based on autonomous needs.

The open‑source community plays a huge role in fostering open‑source innovation, but previously Chinese enterprises and developers mainly relied on foreign open‑source projects, leading to a lack of autonomous control. Building our own root community, such as “OpenKylin”, is a major breakthrough.

OpenKylin also boasts strong ecosystem advantages. The Kylin software team will leverage decades of OS development experience, collaborating with more than ten industry partners to co‑build the OpenKylin community.

Kylin Software, a leading domestic OS company, offers commercial OSes like Zhongbiao Kylin and Galaxy Kylin, with the community edition Ubuntu Kylin featuring the “kydroid” Android runtime that can run some Android apps.

Although the Kylin system is gradually taking shape, the gap with foreign systems remains significant. Windows and macOS together account for over 90% of the desktop OS market, while Linux‑based domestic OSes hold about 4%.

China’s desktop OS market started late, with most users relying on foreign systems. The dominance of foreign OSes raises serious information security concerns, as reliance on foreign software makes it difficult to address vulnerabilities, viruses, and attacks.

In the era of big data, billions of smart devices in China depend on foreign operating systems, allowing foreign providers to potentially access user information such as identity, accounts, location, and preferences.

Therefore, achieving complete autonomy and controllability over operating systems and core software is essential to eliminate security risks and ensure true independence.

The emergence of OpenKylin will further promote innovation in domestic operating systems and is a crucial step toward independent, self‑reliant desktop OS development.

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