OpenRadioss Forked After Siemens Shut Down Project
The community-led OpenCourant project now maintains the simulation software formerly housed on GitHub.
Updated on Oct. 4, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Following the shuttering of the OpenRadioss project and removal of its GitHub repository by Siemens in October 2026, developer Brian Clemens launched OpenCourant as a community-managed fork. This new entity aims to preserve access to the open-source software based on the last public snapshot.
Why it matters
The sudden closure of a multi-year project underscores the volatility inherent in relying on vendor-controlled open-source repositories for critical operational tools. Operators must ensure they have independent version control and recovery strategies to maintain software continuity if a primary sponsor pivots or ceases support.
The original OpenRadioss project spanned 4 years of development before Siemens withdrew support and removed the project repository. OpenCourant now continues the codebase under the GNU AGPLv3 license.
The players
Siemens
A German multinational conglomerate that develops industrial automation, software, and infrastructure technologies on a global scale.
Brian Clemens
A software developer and community contributor who facilitated the preservation of the discontinued codebase.
Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation
A non-profit organization that hosts and manages open-source enterprise software projects.
The details
OpenCourant was created by taking the final available open-source snapshot of the discontinued software. Management of the repository has moved to the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation to provide a neutral home for future development. This transition requires current users of the simulation tools to migrate their local environment and update dependency sources to point to the new community-led infrastructure.
Timeline
Siemens shut down the OpenRadioss project in October 2026.
Market Landscape
This development follows the established precedent of the Hudson-to-Jenkins transition, where community forks emerge to ensure project survival after corporate divestment. It highlights the recurring tension between vendor-sponsored open source and independent, community-governed software lifecycles.
Technical operators currently utilizing OpenRadioss should migrate to the OpenCourant repository to ensure continued updates and bug fixes. Future procurement reviews for open-source tools should prioritize projects with multi-stakeholder governance models to avoid similar service disruptions.
The takeaway
When corporate-backed open-source projects shutter, the stability of your technology stack depends on the agility of the community to fork and maintain the code. Audit your critical software dependencies today to confirm whether they are managed by a single corporate sponsor or a durable foundation.
Further reading
For more on industry shifts and software availability, visit Openings & Closings.
More information
For project documentation and repository access, visit the OpenCourant project page.
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