Microsoft and Google Back Apache Ossie’s Semantic Model Exchange

Microsoft and Google are joining Apache Ossie, a project creating an open specification for exchanging semantic models across data, analytics, and AI platforms. [1] The project has backing from more than 60 companies, including Databricks, Informatica, Mistral AI, Nvidia, Oracle, Salesforce, and Snowflake. [1]

Accepted into the Apache Incubator in June after beginning as Open Semantic Interchange, Ossie represents datasets, fields, relationships, metrics, and AI context using JSON and YAML. [1]

Ossie uses a hub-and-spoke model in which converters translate between its common semantic format and individual vendors’ implementations. [1] An enterprise could therefore move a semantic model between compatible platforms without requiring a separate point-to-point converter for every pair of vendors. [1]

Microsoft is developing a two-way converter between Power BI semantic models and Ossie, enabling Power BI context to enter the common format and Ossie models to be converted back into Power BI. [1]

Apache Ossie establishes a shared interchange point for semantic models used by platforms including Power BI, Snowflake, Databricks, Tableau, ThoughtSpot, and Sigma, rather than requiring every vendor pair to maintain a dedicated converter. Microsoft’s planned two-way Power BI converter provides a concrete implementation to watch, but analysts cited by CIO.com say industry backing makes interoperability only more likely and does not guarantee the disappearance of vendor lock-in. What the sources don't address: which other vendors will deliver production-ready two-way converters or how consistently their implementations will preserve semantic context.