Samsung Electronics is set to announce this week that it will be entering The Linux Foundation with a "Platinum" Membership, the highest membership any group can hold, joining the six other companies currently on the Linux Foundation board of directors. The platinum membership comes with a $500,000 entry fee. This move will help Samsung bolster its commitment to Linux software, and "help sustain its global leadership position," said the company.

Speaking this week about the upcoming announcement before it was made public, Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin expressed his excitement to be welcoming Samsung into the group. Samsung has been part of the Linux community for some time, but now it will be taking a larger role in the board of directors.

"Over the last few years, but intensely over the last six months, The Linux Foundation and Samsung have had strong collaborative sessions on how the company can get the most out of Linux to lower its development and ongoing maintenance costs," reads a blog post by The Linux Foundation. "Samsung uses the Linux kernel and Linux-based products throughout its product line, from TVs to phones to home appliances and more, and wants to maximize their investment."

Raising the Bar for Innovation

"By becoming a leader among its peers in Linux and open source software, Samsung Electronics is clearly raising the bar for innovation once again," said Zemlin on the Linux Foundation blog. "The company's commitment to Linux and investment in its development firmly plants it in a position to continue its achievements in the mobile, embedded and consumer electronics markets. This is a strategic business decision that will result in advancing Samsung Electronics' success and accelerating Linux development work."

According to Business Insider, Samsung's $500,000 investment will not only grant it a seat on the foundation's board of directors, it will also allow the company to have greater oversight of upcoming versions of the Linux platform, including the Tizen mobile OS. Samsung's new role in Linux and its significant backing of Tizen could indicate a Samsung-backed competitor to Apple's iOS and alternative to Google's Android.

"By becoming a Platinum member of The Linux Foundation, Samsung is assuming a leadership role in a vast collaborative development ecosystem that will benefit their business for decades to come," said the Foundation. "We look forward to a much closer relationship with Samsung and its developers and will increase activities that bring more developers to Korea to enhance collaboration from this talented group."