Microsoft and Google Join Forces on Open-Source Initiative to Unify Semantic Models

Microsoft and Google have joined forces to contribute to the Apache Ossie project, an open-source initiative aimed at making semantic models interchangeable across different data, analytics, and AI platforms.

Ossie is a common middle layer that addresses the problem of using business logic across different environments. Currently, semantic models are tightly tied to the platform on which they were created, making it difficult to use them across different environments.

The project began as Open Semantic Interchange (OSI) and was accepted into the Apache Incubator in June. Since then, it has been known as Apache Ossie and has gained support from dozens of large tech companies, including Databricks, Informatica, Mistral AI, Nvidia, Oracle, Salesforce, and Snowflake.

Microsoft is building a Power BI converter to enable the translation of semantic models from Power BI to Ossie and vice versa. The company also wants to see elements of its own technology incorporated into the standard, including more extensive support for ontologies and recognition of DAX.