Mirantis Optimizes AI Inferencing in Cloud-Native Environments
Mirantis Inc., a 25-year leader in cloud computing, is on a mission to revolutionize how organizations leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-native technologies. With its innovative new platform, k0rdent, it aims to provide the tools and frameworks businesses need to thrive in the new AI environment.
At KubeCon 2025, Mirantis’s CEO and co-founder Alex Alex Freedland and CTO Shaun O’Meara spoke about how Mirantis and k0rdent can help shape the future of open-source AI development.
Founded during the early days of OpenStack, Mirantis played an instrumental role in defining what we now know as cloud-native computing. “We were right there when OpenStack became a thing, co-founding the OpenStack Foundation,” Freedland said. “Those early days were about creating an open-source standard for cloud-native operating systems to address the growing influence of public cloud providers such as AWS.” The company’s later acquisition of Docker Enterprise transformed it into a leader in container management.
Open-Source Standards for AI Development
Noting that “AI inferencing is the largest workload humanity has ever seen,” O’Meara said. “That for Mirantis, AI presents not just an evolution but a revolution in computing as it intertwines with cloud-native technologies.” AI has unlocked the potential for hybrid cloud computing like no other application has. “It’s essential to accommodate the vast resource demands AI inferencing entails,” Freedland said.
Mirantis has a long track record of helping to create industry standards. “Defining standards and participating in their creation allows us to guide businesses through technological transitions,” Freedland explained. That stance is reflected in k0rdent, a platform that extends Kubernetes to help developers design, deploy, and manage Kubernetes-based internal developer platforms (IDPs) with ease at any scale, on any cloud or infrastructure.
k0rdent offers enterprises a unified way to integrate AI into their operations without the cumbersome complexities of traditional implementations. Unlike generic one-size-fits-all solutions, it adapts to diversified business needs, enabling companies to build tailored systems that truly align with their goals.
Designed specifically for AI inferencing and hybrid cloud orchestration and with tools that cater specifically to the unique needs of AI developers, k0rdent adheres to open-source principles. Why the emphasis on open source? Mirantis believes that as AI takes center stage, the orchestrators and control points of this vast infrastructure must remain open to prevent monopolization and ensure innovation.
Kubernetes in AI and the Future of Workloads
Kubernetes has long been the backbone of container orchestration in the cloud-native world. However, the rapid evolution of AI has raised questions about whether it will remain suitable for the next phases of technology. “AI applications and generative models are just another workload within Kubernetes vast ecosystem, albeit with unique requirements,” Freedland said. Kubernetes ability to distribute workloads across diverse environments (private data centers, public clouds, and edge infrastructure) will continue to be essential.
If AI truly represents the ‘gold rush’ of our era, Mirantis hopes to be the provider of the ‘picks and shovels’ that companies need to succeed. “From bare metal to orchestrated platforms, our job is to provide everything businesses need to thrive, from governance and composability to performance and resource optimization,” said Freedland. “The ones who sell the picks and shovels make money every time,” he stated.
