Today’s guest on our Prediction Video Series is Julian Fischer, CEO of anynines, a cloud automation company specializing in data service automation for Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes. Fischer shares his predictions about emerging trends in cloud automation, Kubernetes, and open source for the upcoming year.

Fischer anticipates continued evolution in the Kubernetes community as it moves “up the stack,” transitioning from lift-and-shift workloads to building application platforms. On discussing what competition it poses to Cloud Foundry, Fischer says, “We’ll see that competition grow over the next few years.”  However, Fischer emphasizes that Kubernetes still has significant challenges to address, such as scaling and managing fleets of clusters. Cloud Foundry’s traditional stack is expected to maintain a stable presence, particularly in large-scale environments, due to its maturity and reliability.

Another key trend Fischer identifies is the integration of AI and Kubernetes. Fischer envisions Kubernetes playing a crucial role in managing AI workloads, especially in data centers equipped with GPUs. However, this is a developing area, and while Kubernetes shows potential to standardize and formalize workload distribution, Fischer emphasizes that this as an ongoing process rather than a fully realized solution. Nonetheless, the synergy between AI and Kubernetes shows promise for the future.

Edge computing is another area where Kubernetes shows potential. Fischer discusses the expansion of Kubernetes workloads into smaller, distributed regions, such as factory racks or micro-regions. Fischer highlights how some operational best practices from central IT could be adapted to these edge scenarios, though their applicability depends on the size and context of the deployment. Fischer believes that micro-regions would adopt Kubernetes for greater flexibility and efficiency, though not all scenarios would benefit equally.

In discussing data service automation, Fischer highlights Kubernetes as a capable foundation for building production-grade operators. However, Fischer stresses that the lack of enterprise-grade open-source operators remains a significant challenge. Predictable automation and lifecycle management are crucial, especially for long-lived databases like Postgres, which require robust reliability.

Fischer also highlights the current challenges in open source, citing controversial licensing changes as contributing to enterprise skepticism. Fischer emphasizes that companies need to fully commit to open-source projects, standing by them even with associated risks. To demonstrate its commitment, anynines has open-sourced its product, Klutch, reflecting the company’s belief in the value and potential of open source as a driver of innovation and collaboration.

Guest: Julian Fischer (LinkedIn)
Company: anynines
Show: 2025 Prediction Series

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.