Hewlett-Packard has increased its investment in the Linux Foundation.

The organization, which aims at increasing adoption of Linux across the world, announced today that HP has decided to upgrade its Linux Foundation membership from Gold to Platinum. By doing so, HP will now hold a seat on the Linux Foundation's board of directors. The company will also play a role in the Linux Foundation's initiatives, work groups, labs, and events.

HP has been making open-source supporters happy with WebOS, a formerly closed platform that it turned open source. HP didn't say exactly why it decided to up its investment in the Linux Foundation, but Eileen Evans, the company's vice president and associate general counsel, said in a statement today that it "advances our own business, as well as greater industry innovation."

The Platinum membership came at a price. As a Gold member, HP was paying annual dues to the Linux Foundation of $100,000. As a Platinum member, it needs to dish out $500,000. Only a handful of companies, including IBM, Intel, and Samsung, are Platinum members.