--- title: "Open Source AI: The Foundation of Sovereign AI · Appnovation" url: "https://www.appnovation.com/open-source-ai" description: "Own your AI. Appnovation has built on open source since 2007, helping enterprises run inspectable, portable models on infrastructure they control." --- Open source # The foundation of sovereign AI Appnovation was built on open source in 2007 and never left. Nearly two decades inside the ecosystem, building what clients own. [Talk to our Experts](/company/contact.md) [Explore Evolve](/evolve.md) ![Open Source AI](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/283f7842e7ff2b52edb8ba12b7a6aa655bfb1930-3292x3000.png?w=1440&auto=format) WHY OPEN SOURCE ## Sovereignty is not bought. It is built. AI that answers to its owner has to run on technology its owner controls. Open source makes that possible: the freedom to see how models work, choose where they run and change them as the market moves. Appnovation has built on that freedom for nearly two decades, and today it is the foundation under [every AI product Appnovation builds](/ai-product-development.md). SOVEREIGN AI ## Two Kinds of Control Open source is what makes both possible. * Data sovereignty Models run where the data lives, under the organization's own governance and jurisdiction. * Cost sovereignty Predictable economics, so growing usage creates more value, not a bigger invoice. The advantage ## What open source makes possible ### Build today Open source models are ready for production now, with lower barriers and faster time to value. ### Freedom to choose No single vendor decides which models to use, where they run or what they cost. Models can be swapped as better ones arrive. ### Own your AI future The models, the data and the infrastructure belong to the organization, and their value grows with every use. ![Evolve](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/35dd1049737b1183256919a14b11b3512d17fd33-1215x1397.png?w=960&auto=format) The Product ## Evolve™: sovereign AI, run and governed Owning models is the start. Keeping them updated, verified, upgraded, and risk-assessed is the job. Evolve™ is built for exactly that: running and governing a growing open source AI infrastructure, so sovereignty holds as adoption scales. [Book a demo](/evolve.md) OPEN VS CLOSED ## Open source and proprietary AI, side by side | Features | Open Source AI | Proprietary AI | | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------- | | Anywhere, including the organization's own infrastructure | On the vendor's infrastructure | | | The organization | The vendor's terms | | | Predictable, tied to infrastructure | Rises with every request | | | Switch as better models arrive | Tied to one vendor's roadmap | | | Open models that can be inspected and tuned | Closed models | | ### Open Source AI Where models run Anywhere, including the organization's own infrastructure Who governs the data The organization Cost as usage grows Predictable, tied to infrastructure Model choice Switch as better models arrive Transparency Open models that can be inspected and tuned ### Proprietary AI Where models run On the vendor's infrastructure Who governs the data The vendor's terms Cost as usage grows Rises with every request Model choice Tied to one vendor's roadmap Transparency Closed models FAQs ## Frequently Asked Questions * ### What is open source AI? Open source AI refers to models, tooling, and infrastructure released under open licenses, such as Llama and Qwen. Organizations can run, adapt, and govern these models on infrastructure they control, rather than accessing AI only through a proprietary vendor's API. * ### What is sovereign AI? Sovereign AI is the pairing of data sovereignty and cost sovereignty. Data sovereignty means models run where the data lives, under the organization's own governance and jurisdiction. Cost sovereignty means predictable economics, so increased usage creates more value instead of a bigger invoice. Open source is what makes both possible, because sovereignty requires owning what runs. * ### What is the difference between open source and proprietary AI models? Proprietary models are accessed through a vendor's API: the vendor controls the model, the roadmap, the terms, and the pricing. Open source models are downloaded and run by the organization itself, on infrastructure it chooses, under licenses that permit adaptation. The practical difference is control: where the data goes, what the models cost, and who decides what changes. * ### Are open source LLMs good enough for production? Yes. Open source LLMs like Llama and Qwen are among the most capable models available today, and are competitive with proprietary alternatives on many workloads. Production readiness depends less on the model and more on the engineering around it: evaluation, governance, and ongoing model management. * ### Why choose open source over proprietary AI? Lower barriers to entry, faster time to value, no vendor lock-in, and full control over data and costs. Open source also compounds: the models of today become the enterprise infrastructure of tomorrow, and organizations that build on them now grow with the technology instead of chasing it. * ### How long has Appnovation worked with open source? Since 2007. Appnovation was founded as an open source development company and has spent nearly two decades delivering open source solutions, from enterprise content platforms to production AI products, including in highly regulated industries. * ### Which open source LLMs does Appnovation work with? Appnovation builds on the leading open source LLMs, including Llama and Qwen, evaluating models on performance, cost, licensing, and jurisdiction for each workload. The model landscape moves quickly, and part of the work is knowing which models to trust as it does.