Google Transfers Open Health Stack to Linux Foundation for Open Digital Health Innovation

Esther Speak - Senior Reporter at Villpress
2 Min Read

Google is transferring its Open Health Stack (OHS) project, including all code and assets, to the Linux Foundation, which plans to establish the Open Health Stack Software Foundation to support community-driven development of digital health tools.

The move, announced on July 9, 2026, aims to create a vendor-neutral home for open-source software that helps developers build interoperable, AI-enabled health applications, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Google.org is providing a $3 million grant to support the new foundation.

Launched by Google in 2023, the Open Health Stack offers building blocks based on global standards such as HL7 FHIR. It includes tools like Android FHIR SDKs, data pipelines, and a multiplatform reference toolkit. The project has grown to include a global ecosystem of developers and implementers.

The new foundation will focus on three main areas: core HL7 FHIR foundations, the OHS Player for local deployments, and AI Commons, a model-agnostic space for safe AI integration in global health, developed with the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Open source has already transformed enterprise software, cloud computing, and AI, and it will do the same for how the world delivers care,” said Jim Zemlin, CEO of the Linux Foundation.

Kat Chou, vice president at Google Research, stated that contributing OHS to the Linux Foundation ensures the tools evolve under governance reflecting diverse communities, with an emphasis on AI for global digital health.

More than 20 organizations have expressed support, including the WHO, UNICEF, Microsoft, Anthropic, PATH, OpenMRS, and others from health, tech, and research sectors. An Implementer Program will allow developers and small organizations from low-resource settings to participate in governance without financial barriers.

The initiative addresses fragmentation in digital health infrastructure, aiming to improve interoperability and support local innovation to close health equity gaps. The Open Health Stack Software Foundation is now open for participation.

This transfer represents Google’s ongoing efforts in health technology while shifting long-term stewardship to the open-source community under the Linux Foundation.

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Esther Speak - Senior Reporter at Villpress
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Ester Speaks is a senior reporter and newsroom strategist at Villpress, where she shapes Africa-focused business, technology, and policy coverage.  She works at the intersection of journalism, and editorial systems, producing clear, high-impact news that travels globally while staying rooted in African realities.
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