China has unveiled its first domestically developed open-source desktop operating system, named OpenKylin, in a significant move aimed at reducing reliance on U.S. technology. The state media reported that OpenKylin, based on the popular open-source Linux operating system, was released on Wednesday. The development of China’s version involved a community of approximately 4,000 developers and has already found applications in various sectors, including the country’s space program, finance, and energy industries.

The operating systems market in China, which is the world’s largest, was valued at 15.5 billion yuan ($2.1 billion) last year, as per reports from state media citing an industry analysis.

The Chinese tech industry has been actively pursuing the goal of developing an independent operating system free from U.S. technology in recent years. The creation of the OpenKylin system has seen contributions from numerous companies and organizations, highlighting the collective effort to achieve this objective.

The China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stands as one of the prominent supporters of OpenKylin.

With over a dozen Chinese companies vying to develop operating systems that can serve as alternatives to Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s MacOS, the launch of OpenKylin marks a significant step forward in China’s pursuit of technological self-sufficiency and sovereignty.