The edge AI revolution faces a fundamental paradox: while enterprises demand complete control over their data and infrastructure, the complexity of distributed AI orchestration requires collaborative innovation that no single company can deliver alone. At Manta, we've solved this through a strategic open source approach that empowers community innovation while protecting the core intellectual property that makes our platform commercially viable.
The Edge AI Infrastructure Challenge
Today's edge AI deployments are stuck in a costly cycle. Data scientists spend months wrestling with Kubernetes configurations, network protocols, and hardware compatibility issues instead of focusing on what they do best: building intelligent algorithms. Meanwhile, enterprises face vendor lock-in with cloud providers, struggle with data sovereignty requirements under regulations like the EU Data Act, and can't achieve the low latency that Industry applications demand.
The traditional approaches aren't working:
- Cloud-first solutions force data through external servers, violating sovereignty requirements and adding latency
- DIY approaches require massive DevOps teams and take 12-18 months to deploy
- Proprietary edge platforms create vendor lock-in without community innovation
This is where strategic open source architecture makes the difference.
Manta's Open Core Architecture: Learning from Success Stories
Our open source strategy draws inspiration from companies like Tailscale, which has built a thriving business around open clients and a closed control plane, and Elastic, which protects core IP while fostering community innovation.
What We're Open Sourcing
manta-sdk: Our data science SDK will be released under Apache 2.0 license, enabling developers to:
- Build custom federated learning algorithms
- Create domain-specific data processing pipelines
- Integrate with existing ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Flower)
- Develop specialized edge AI applications
manta-node: Our edge agent software will be Apache 2.0 licensed, allowing the community to:
- Add support for new hardware platforms (RISC-V, specialized AI chips)
- Integrate additional data protocols (OPC-UA, custom industrial protocols)
- Contribute security enhancements and performance optimizations
- Build connectors for existing enterprise systems
What Remains Closed Source
manta-manager: Our orchestration control plane remains proprietary, providing:
- Enterprise-grade RBAC and multi-tenancy
- Advanced monitoring, alerting, and compliance reporting
- Automated deployment pipelines and rollback capabilities
- Cross-site federated learning coordination
- Integration with enterprise identity providers
This architecture isn't about restricting innovation—it's about enabling it. By keeping the complex orchestration layer closed, we can provide enterprise customers with the reliability, security, and support they need while giving developers complete freedom to innovate at the edge.
Community-Driven Innovation Opportunities
Our open source components create multiple avenues for community contribution:
Hardware Ecosystem Expansion
With manta-node open source, hardware vendors and systems integrators can add native support for their platforms. Whether it's the latest NVIDIA Jetson modules, Intel's edge AI accelerators, or specialized IoT gateways, the community can ensure Manta runs optimally across diverse hardware.
Industry Protocol Integration
Manufacturing environments use dozens of industrial protocols. Our open SDK enables domain experts to build connectors for:
- Legacy SCADA systems
- Proprietary sensor networks
- Industry-specific data formats
- Real-time control systems
Federated Learning Algorithms
The most exciting opportunity lies in collaborative AI. Our open architecture enables researchers and practitioners to implement cutting-edge federated learning approaches:
- Privacy-preserving techniques like differential privacy
- Novel aggregation algorithms for heterogeneous data
- Domain-specific model architectures
- Cross-silo collaboration protocols
Business Model Transparency: Sustainable Innovation
We believe in transparency about how open source drives our business model. This clarity helps community members understand our long-term commitment to open source while ensuring enterprise customers see the value in our commercial offerings.
SaaS Model (€79-129/user/month)
Our cloud-hosted manta-manager provides instant deployment for teams wanting to focus purely on data science. Community contributions to manta-sdk and manta-node directly benefit SaaS users through improved capabilities and hardware support.
On-Premise Model (€30-120k enterprise licenses)
For organizations requiring complete data sovereignty, our on-premise deployments leverage the same open source edge components while providing enterprise features like advanced RBAC, compliance reporting, and dedicated support.
Community Value Loop
Every community contribution strengthens our platform's value proposition:
- More hardware support = larger addressable market for enterprise sales
- Better algorithms = stronger competitive differentiation
- Enhanced protocols = easier enterprise adoption
- Security improvements = reduced compliance risks
This creates a virtuous cycle where community innovation drives commercial success, which funds continued R&D and platform development.
Learning from Industry Leaders
Our approach follows proven patterns from successful open core companies:
Tailscale's Model: Open clients (similar to our manta-node) with closed coordination server (our manta-manager) has enabled Tailscale to reach significant scale while maintaining a thriving open source community around their client software.
GitLab's Community Edition: By open sourcing core functionality while reserving enterprise features, GitLab built a massive developer community that drives adoption of their commercial offerings.
Elastic's Licensing Evolution: Their shift to the Elastic License 2.0 protects against cloud provider commoditization while keeping source code accessible for most use cases.
Technical Architecture Benefits
This open core approach delivers concrete technical advantages:
Faster Innovation Cycles
Community contributions to edge components accelerate our development velocity. Instead of our small team supporting every possible hardware configuration, hardware vendors and users contribute support directly.
Higher Quality and Security
Open source components benefit from community review and testing across diverse environments. This distributed validation improves reliability and identifies security issues faster than internal testing alone.
Reduced Vendor Lock-in Concerns
Enterprises can inspect, modify, and extend the edge components of their deployment. They're not locked into our hardware choices or protocol implementations, reducing adoption friction.
Ecosystem Growth
Open standards and interfaces enable third-party tools and integrations, growing the overall value of the Manta ecosystem for all users.
European Tech Sovereignty and Open Source
Our open core strategy aligns perfectly with European digital sovereignty goals. By open sourcing edge components, European enterprises can:
- Audit code for security and compliance requirements
- Ensure no backdoors or unwanted data collection
- Modify software to meet specific regulatory needs
- Build local expertise and reduce dependence on foreign technology stacks
This transparency is crucial for critical infrastructure deployments where regulatory compliance and data sovereignty aren't just business requirements—they're legal mandates under GDPR and the upcoming EU Data Act.
Building the Community: What's Next
We're launching our open source initiative alongside our beta program in Autumn 2025. Here's how we're building the community:
Developer Experience First
- Comprehensive documentation and tutorials
- Docker-based development environments
- Clear contribution guidelines and code review processes
- Regular community calls and technical deep-dives
Partner Program
We're establishing partnerships with:
- Hardware vendors for optimized edge deployments
- System integrators looking to offer differentiated edge AI solutions
- Research institutions exploring federated learning applications
- Open source projects in the ML and edge computing space
Recognition and Growth
Contributors will receive:
- Public recognition and co-marketing opportunities
- Early access to new features and beta programs
- Speaking opportunities at conferences and events
- Potential collaboration on funded research projects
The Future of Edge AI is Collaborative
The edge AI market is projected to reach $159 billion by 2032, but this growth will only happen if we solve the fundamental infrastructure challenges holding back adoption today. No single company can build all the hardware drivers, protocol integrations, and domain-specific algorithms needed to unlock this potential.
By combining open source innovation with sustainable commercial models, we're creating an ecosystem where:
- Data scientists can focus on algorithms instead of infrastructure
- Hardware vendors can easily support new edge AI use cases
- Enterprises can deploy AI with confidence in sovereignty and security
- Developers can build the next generation of distributed intelligence applications
Join the Movement
Ready to be part of the edge AI revolution? Here's how you can get involved:
For Developers: Sign up for our beta program launching Autumn 2025. Get early access to manta-sdk and manta-node, and help us build the future of edge AI orchestration.
For Enterprises: Request a demo to see how Manta can reduce your cloud costs by 80% while maintaining complete data sovereignty.
For Partners: Contact our team to discuss collaboration opportunities, whether you're a hardware vendor, system integrator, or research institution.
For Contributors: Watch our GitHub organization for the initial open source releases and contribution guidelines.
The future of AI is distributed, collaborative, and sovereign. With the right open source strategy, we can build it together.
About Manta: Manta is a decentralized AI orchestration platform that enables enterprises to deploy machine learning models across distributed edge devices without cloud dependency. Founded by Hugo Miralles and incubated at INRIA Startup Studio, Manta serves industrial clients requiring low latency and complete data sovereignty. Learn more at manta-tech.io.