Microsoft has teamed up with several tech giants to help the development of Chromium-based browsers. The Linux Foundation just launched “Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers,” an initiative that helps fund open development of browsers built on Chromium. Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers also aims to “enhance projects within the Chromium ecosystem.” The Linux Foundation shared the news this week and Microsoft posted a blog post as well.
According to the Linux Foundation, Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers will provide a neutral space for the open source community to collaborate. All current Chromium projects will remain under their current structure, but new projects made through Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers will be under the Linux Foundation.
Microsoft joins Google, Meta, and Opera in supporting Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers.
It’s been six years since Microsoft announced that it would switch its Edge browser to a Chromium base. The new Edge then shipped in July 2020. The move improved web compatibility within Edge and aligned updates to the app with popular browsers such as Google Chrome. The shift to a Chromium base also reduced the effort required from developers to ensure compatibility with Edge and opened the door for Chrome extensions to work within Microsoft’s browser.
Basing Edge on Chromium drew some criticism, but the move seems to have been successful. Microsoft shared its year in review for Edge last month, which highlighted several milestones for the browser:
- 10 billion AI-powered chats with Copilot
- 800 million articles, stories, and updates through MSN
- Over 1.4 billion phishing, malware, and scam attacks blocked
- Over 7.3 billion passwords protected each month
- Over 7 trillion megabytes of PC memory saved using Sleeping Tabs
- Over 1.8 trillion trackers prevented on Edge mobile
- 46 million messages and files shared through Drop
- 38 trillion characters translated
Edge still sits far below Chrome and Safari in terms of global market share, but that figure is stable around 5%. Perhaps more importantly, Edge is a viable browser that continues to be developed.
“Microsoft is pleased to join this initiative which will help drive collaboration within the Chromium ecosystem,” said Meghan Perez, VP, Microsoft Edge. “This initiative aligns with our commitment to the web platform through meaningful and positive contributions, engagement in collaborative engineering, and partnerships with the community to achieve the best outcome for everyone using the web.”