CNCF: Kubernetes is 'foundational' infrastructure for AI (thenewstack.io)

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) has highlighted Kubernetes as a "foundational" infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI) in its latest Annual Cloud Native Survey. With 82% of container users deploying Kubernetes in production, the technology has transitioned from an experimental phase to a critical infrastructure layer for scaling reliable AI systems. Notably, 66% of surveyed organizations are utilizing Kubernetes to host generative AI workloads, indicating a shift where enterprises focus more on deploying AI than on training their own models. This trend underscores the importance of cloud-native technologies in modern enterprise infrastructure. The report also detailed the evolution of cloud-native adoption, categorized into four levels: Explorers, Adopters, Practitioners, and Innovators. A significant 91% of mature organizations use Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools, reflecting a strong commitment to moving applications from pilot to production stages. As Kubernetes and related projects like GitOps become integral to cloud-native architecture, the CNCF warns of upcoming challenges in serving AI workloads, emphasizing the need for solutions that simplify deployment and enhance inference capacity in increasingly data-intensive environments.