KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2024 Recap: Themes, Innovations, and Community Spirit

Hello everyone! KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2024 has just wrapped up, and I’m thrilled to share what I learned and experienced from this incredible event. I returned home two days ago and am still struggling with jet lag, but the excitement and insights from the conference keep me energized.
This year’s KubeCon was thoughtfully organized around themes, with each day focusing on a specific topic:

• Day 1: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Day 2: Security

• Day 3: Community

For anyone new to the cloud-native ecosystem, KubeCon is the largest and most influential conference dedicated to cloud-native technologies. This year, the 2024 edition was hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah. Preceding the main event was Rejekts, a two-day conference held on November 10 and 11. Rejekts offers a unique platform for deeper discussions and features talks that didn’t make it into the main KubeCon lineup. I had the opportunity to attend Rejekts in person and was thrilled to see Kubesimplify as a proud community and media partner for the event. The energy, the insightful conversations, and the chance to connect with incredible individuals made the experience unforgettable.

I also had the honor of speaking at KubeCon, delivering a talk titled "Cloud Native Sustainability Speedrun: Tools from Infrastructure to Application Level." It was an incredible experience to share insights into sustainability tools like Kepler, KubeGreen, and Cloud Carbon Footprint, and to demonstrate how cloud-native applications can incorporate sustainability at every level.

Day 1 Highlights: AI in Cloud-Native and Tackling Patent Trolls

The first day of KubeCon was a blend of excitement around Artificial Intelligence and a call to action against legal challenges facing the open-source community.

1. Scaling Kubernetes for Generative AI

Industry experts shared lessons learned while building Kubernetes clusters to support generative AI workloads. They tackled challenges like hardware failures, GPU scheduling optimization, and observability while leveraging CNCF projects to manage platforms for AI.

2. NVIDIA’s Contributions to AI and CNCF Projects
   Chris Lamb from NVIDIA discussed how the company uses and contributes to CNCF projects, showcasing the synergy between open source and AI advancements.

3. Patent Trolls and the Cloud Native Heroes Challenge
CNCF launched the Cloud Native Heroes Challenge, a patent troll bounty program in partnership with Unified Patents. This initiative aims to protect open-source projects from legal threats, allowing the community to contribute while earning rewards. Learn more here.

On Day 1, the blend of technological advancements in AI and the community’s resilience in tackling challenges showcased the collaborative spirit of KubeCon.

Day 2 Highlights: Security in the Cloud-Native Ecosystem
Day 2 focused on the critical topic of Security, reflecting the growing importance of safeguarding open-source ecosystems.

1. Envoy AI Gateway
A significant announcement was the introduction of the Envoy AI Gateway, the first CNCF AI project. Built on Envoy Proxy, this gateway offers scalable solutions for LLM access, unified APIs, and upstream authorization.

2. CNCF End User Awards
Adobe received the CNCF End User Award for contributing to 46 CNCF projects, including Kubernetes, Prometheus, and OpenTelemetry.

3. Announcing the 2024 Community Awards!

This year’s awards include:
- Lifetime Achievement award (new!)
- Top Committer
- Chop Wood Carry Water
- CNCF Lorem Ipsum (previously Documentarian)
- TAGGIE
- Lift and Shift (special)

4. New Certifications
   At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America, CNCF is also introducing three new project-specific certifications:

5. Certified Backstage Associate (CBA)

6. OpenTelemetry Certified Associate (OTCA)

7. Kyverno Certified Associate (KCA)

Day 3 Highlights: Community and the Future of Cloud-Native

The final day celebrated the Community, emphasizing collaboration and envisioning the future of cloud-native technologies.

1. Kubernetes’ Ten-Year Journey

Kelsey Hightower reflected on a decade of Kubernetes, sharing stories of its evolution and celebrating the community, which has grown exponentially since the first KubeCon, which had 600 attendees in 2016.

2. Training African Technologists
CNCF announced a partnership with LF Education and Andela to train 20,000 African technologists in cloud-native basics, enabling them to earn certifications like KCNA and CKAD.

3. Graduated Projects
Congratulations to the newest CNCF Graduated projects:

• Cert-Manager

• Dapr

• KubeEdge

• Falco

Co-Located Events

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon started with various co-located events on Monday, November 11, 2024, each providing a deep dive into specific topics within the cloud-native ecosystem. Here's a quick rundown of a few of them:

• WasmCon Day 1

• ArgoCon Hosted by CNCF

• BackstageCon, Hosted by CNCF

• Cilium + eBPF Day Hosted by CNCF

• Cloud Native + Kubernetes AI Day Hosted by CNCF

• Observability Day Hosted by CNCF

• Platform Engineering Day Hosted by CNCF

• Cloud Native University Hosted by CNCF (Half Day)

• Data on Kubernetes Day Hosted by CNCF (Half Day)

• EnvoyCon Hosted by CNCF (Half Day)

• OpenFeature Summit Hosted by CNCF (Half Day)

• AppDeveloperCon Hosted by CNCF

These events set the stage for the main conference by fostering meaningful conversations and offering hands-on workshops for participants to expand their expertise. Save the Dates for Future KubeCons
Here are the upcoming KubeCon events to mark on your calendar:

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2024 | December 11–12 | Delhi, India

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2025 | April 1–4 | London, England

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon China 2025 | June 10–11 | Hong Kong

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan 2025 | June 16–17 | Tokyo, Japan

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025 | November 10–13 | Atlanta, Georgia

• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2025 | August 6–7 | Hyderabad, India

Final Thoughts

This KubeCon was particularly special for me as I recently became a CNCF Ambassador! With this new role, I had the privilege of attending the exclusive CNCF Ambassador breakfast, where I got to connect with other ambassadors and community leaders. It was an enriching experience to exchange ideas and learn more about contributing to the cloud-native ecosystem.

This time, I had my family with me → my husband, Saiyam, and our little one, Rushika. Believe it or not, this was Rushika’s third KubeCon! Thanks to the excellent daycare facility at KubeCon, balancing family and conference activities was seamless. Watching Rushika enjoy herself while I was immersed in the sessions and networking made this trip truly memorable.

Another highlight for me was finally being able to register for a professional headshot session. I’ve always missed this in previous events, but this time, I made it a point to grab the opportunity, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out!
Additionally, Saiyam and I teamed up with Shwetha Vohra to record an exclusive interview on platform engineering for our YouTube channel, Kubesimplify. The discussion was insightful, and I can’t wait to share it with you all soon!

I also love the concept of the job board at KubeCon. It is thoughtful, offering attendees a chance to explore job opportunities at the event. It was great to see companies actively seeking talent and participants being able to connect with potential employers directly.

What were your favorite moments from KubeCon 2024? Let’s discuss this in the comments!