In collaboration with Savoir-faire Linux, SUSE becomes the first enterprise Linux vendor to deliver validated, real-time operating system support for the open source SEAPATH architecture.
Sydney, AUSTRALIA – 17 September 2026 – SUSE, the leading sovereign open infrastructure company, today announced the technical enablement of SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time for LF Energy SEAPATH. Developed in collaboration with Savoir-faire Linux, this integration gives power grid operators and equipment vendors an enterprise-supported open-source platform for deploying software-defined digital substations.
The joint solution combines SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time with KVM virtualisation and cluster support, providing grid operators and industrial vendors with a robust, enterprise-supported option for deploying digital substations, critical nodes that manage and distribute electrical power, to modernise their infrastructure. This collaboration expands deployment choices for European operators and vendors of virtualised protection and automation solutions.
As renewable energy and electrification strain legacy power grids, utilities are moving from dedicated hardware to software-defined architectures. LF Energy created SEAPATH to power this transition, providing a real-time, hardware-agnostic foundation for digital substations.
Expanding enterprise choice for SEAPATH
In initial performance validation conducted by Dutch grid operator Alliander, SUSE’s real-time kernel successfully met the strict sub-30-millisecond latency parameters required for high-voltage power grid protection, making SUSE the first commercial Linux vendor to support the SEAPATH architecture.
“Power grids are among the world’s most critical infrastructures, and their modernisation requires technologies that combine openness, reliability and long-term support,” said Frank Feldmann, Chief AI and Strategy Officer at SUSE. “By enabling SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time for SEAPATH, we are giving transmission and distribution operators an additional enterprise-supported option for building software-defined substations. For European operators in particular, this provides a path to greater technological choice and control over critical infrastructure while supporting their digital sovereignty objectives.”
This initiative is largely driven by major European power grid operators, such as RTE (France) and Alliander (Netherlands), who are contributing to SEAPATH. These operators prioritise open source software stacks to reduce risks associated with critical supply chains, preserve European technological sovereignty, and ensure better interoperability among grid actors.
SUSE enterprise subscriptions for SEAPATH environments include technical support, security maintenance, and long-term lifecycle management.
Strengthening the SEAPATH industrial ecosystem
“Building a sustainable multi-vendor ecosystem is central to SEAPATH,” said Eloi Bail, Chair of the LF Energy SEAPATH Technical Steering Committee. “By integrating SUSE Linux Enterprise and evaluating it against the project’s technical requirements and testing framework, SUSE is adding another implementation and support option for grid operators pursuing their virtualisation journey, as well as for protection and automation vendors bringing virtualised Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) – essential components for grid protection and control – to the market. Expanding that choice is exactly what an open platform such as SEAPATH is intended to enable.”
The work also illustrates the role of specialised engineering and integration expertise in bringing enterprise technologies into an industrial open source architecture such as SEAPATH.
“Our role at Savoir-faire Linux is to help technology providers and utilities turn the SEAPATH reference architecture into deployable industrial solutions,” said Christophe Villemer, Executive Vice-President at Savoir-faire Linux. “Working with SUSE, we brought together their enterprise Linux expertise and our deep knowledge of SEAPATH’s real-time, high-availability and integration requirements. The result is an additional enterprise-supported option for the SEAPATH ecosystem and another step toward broader industrial adoption of virtualised protection and control.”
SUSE and Savoir-faire Linux will showcase their collaboration and present the technical implementation at the LF Energy Summit Europe in Berlin.
About SUSE
SUSE is the leading sovereign open infrastructure company where hybrid AI runs. Backed by 30+ years of community collaboration, we transform open source innovation into secure, enterprise-grade solutions for mission-critical environments. Built on choice and neutrality, SUSE is the only platform that manages any Linux and Kubernetes distribution. Through our open infrastructure platform and partner ecosystem, IT leaders gain control over their data, budgets, and sovereign AI strategies. Our solutions deploy across hybrid environments, from developer workstations and on-premises data centers to multi-cloud and the farthest edge, and are optimised and certified for SAP. With SUSE, choice happens. Learn more at suse.com.
About Savoir-faire Linux
Savoir-faire Linux is an open source software engineering company specialising in embedded systems, Linux and mission-critical industrial platforms. As a member of LF Energy and a co-founder and long-time contributor to the LF Energy SEAPATH project, Savoir-faire Linux supports utilities, equipment manufacturers and technology providers.
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