OpenStack, the open-source project known for its ability to manage private clouds on-premises, is still one of the most active in the world even after 29 releases. The OpenInfra Foundation, which oversees the project, announced the launch of the latest version – dubbed ‘Caracal’ – this week. With a strong focus on hosting AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads, this release brings new features to cater to the needs of enterprises.
The typical OpenStack user is a large enterprise company, be it a retailer like Walmart or a telecommunications giant like NTT. As enterprises focus on putting their AI models into production while keeping their data secure, many are looking for ways to maintain full control over their entire stack. As CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, noted recently, we are on the brink of a multi-trillion dollar investment wave in data center infrastructure. This includes investments from the big players in the cloud industry, but also private deployments that require a robust software layer to manage them.
Amidst these developments, OpenStack finds itself in a unique position as one of the only comprehensive alternatives to VMware’s offerings. Following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and changes in licensing, many VMware users are exploring other options. “With the Broadcom acquisition of VMware and some of the licensing changes they’ve made, we’ve had a lot of companies coming to us and taking another look at OpenStack,” explained Jonathan Bryce, executive director of the OpenInfra Foundation.
In recent years, OpenStack has gained significant traction in the Asia-Pacific region. As announced by the OpenInfra Foundation this week, Okestro, a South Korean cloud provider with a strong focus on AI, has joined as the newest Platinum Member. However, Europe, with its strict data sovereignty laws, has also emerged as a growth market for OpenStack. For instance, the UK’s Dawn AI supercomputer runs on OpenStack.
According to Mark Collier, COO of the OpenInfra Foundation, “all the things are lining up for a big upswing and open-source adoption for infrastructure.” This includes not just OpenStack, but also other projects like Kata Containers. The future is looking exciting for the community, with new infrastructure upgrades on the horizon.
The latest release of OpenStack, version 29, includes a host of new features. These updates range from the ability to support vGPU live migrations in Nova, the project’s core compute service, to enhanced security measures such as rule-based access control for core services like Ironic, which provides bare-metal-as-a-service. The release also brings networking updates to better support HPC workloads, among other updates. The full release notes can be found here.
This update marks the first release since OpenStack adopted the ‘Skip Level Upgrade Release Process’ (SLURP) a year ago. With a new release every six months, the original cadence was too fast for most enterprises. The SLURP process introduces a long-term release version, where every second release is designed for easy upgrades. This differs from the original six-month cycle, which still produces major updates for those who prefer a faster pace.
OpenStack has experienced its ups and downs throughout the years in terms of perception. However, with a mature system and a sustainable ecosystem, it has emerged as a strong player in the industry. In the midst of its first hype cycle ten years ago, it found success in the telco world, leading to its current phase of maturation. Today, in the midst of the AI boom, OpenStack may just find itself in the right place at the right time to capitalize on these developments.
