LoginSign Up
← Back to all sparks
Kubernetes logo

Kubernetes

DEVOPSINFRA · APIS
Velocity7.5

Container orchestration

kubernetes.io ↗

Kubernetes 1.36 leans into AI/ML scheduling and control-plane scaling.

ai-ml-schedulingcontrol-plane-scalingga-graduationsdra-hardwareapi-hygienesecurity-deprecation
◆Current state
The 1.36 cycle is graduation-heavy, with PSI metrics, declarative validation, and volume group snapshots all promoted to GA. Alongside that, the project is making architectural moves around workload scheduling (a new PodGroup API), API-server safety (Mixed Version Proxy on by default), and very-large-cluster scaling (server-side sharded list and watch in alpha). Etcd 3.7 has hit beta in parallel.
◆Where it's heading
Kubernetes is repositioning the control plane for two pressures at once: AI/ML batch workloads, where gang scheduling and DRA are becoming first-class concerns, and very-large clusters, where the control plane itself needs to shard. The pattern across this cycle is consolidation — old experimental scaffolding is reaching GA or being removed (ExternalIPs), while new APIs land with explicit separation of static template from runtime state. Less feature sprawl, more API hygiene.
◆Prediction
Expect 1.37 to push server-side sharded watch toward beta and to keep extending DRA's reach into native resources like memory and networking. Workload-aware scheduling will likely accumulate scheduler-plugin-level coordination patterns next, with downstream batch frameworks starting to converge on the PodGroup shape.

◆Recent moves

  1. 1d ago

    Announcing etcd 3.7.0-beta.0

    First beta of the etcd 3.7 line, headlining the long-requested RangeStream feature for large-resultset reads and a sweep of legacy-component cleanup. Fits the cycle's control-plane-scaling theme rather than adding user-visible Kubernetes features.

    View source ↗
  2. 5d ago

    Kubernetes v1.36: New Metric for Route Sync in the Cloud Controller Manager

    New alpha counter metric in the Cloud Controller Manager to track route syncs, added specifically to validate the watch-based route reconciliation feature gate introduced in v1.35. Incremental observability work in direct service of an in-flight feature gate.

    View source ↗
  3. 5d ago

    Kubernetes v1.36: Mixed Version Proxy Graduates to Beta

    Mixed Version Proxy moves to beta and is on by default, eliminating a class of 404s during cluster upgrades by routing requests for newer resources to peer API servers that actually know about them. Continuation of the cycle's API-server safety theme.

    View source ↗
  4. 6d ago

    Kubernetes v1.36: Deprecation and removal of Service ExternalIPs

    Removes a long-deprecated Service field tied to CVE-2020-8554. Closes off a privilege-escalation surface that has been recommended-against since v1.21 and that assumed full trust across all cluster users.

    View source ↗
  5. 7d ago

    Kubernetes v1.36: Advancing Workload-Aware Scheduling

    ⚡ SPARK

    Splits the AI/ML scheduling APIs into a static Workload template and a runtime PodGroup, sharpening the architecture started in v1.35. Cements gang scheduling and workload-aware concepts as first-class Kubernetes citizens rather than out-of-tree add-ons.

    View source ↗
  6. 8d ago

    Kubernetes v1.36: PSI Metrics for Kubernetes Graduates to GA

    Pressure Stall Information graduates to GA, giving stable node, pod, and container-level visibility into CPU, memory, and I/O saturation. Lands as part of the cycle's broader push toward higher-fidelity scheduling and observability signals.

    View source ↗