The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) has announced new features for Istio, aimed at managing AI workloads on Kubernetes. Three updates are central: Ambient Multicluster in beta, the Gateway API Inference Extension in beta, and experimental support for agentgateway. These additions are intended to reduce operational complexity and enable daily deployments of AI workloads.
The first new feature is Ambient Multicluster in beta. This extends Istio’s ambient mode to multiple clusters, without sidecars. Ambient mode makes service meshes more accessible, as clusters do not need to be interrupted during installation. Multicluster routing across regions or clouds is now more easily available to teams.
The second addition is the Gateway API Inference Extension, also in beta. This integrates machine learning inference directly into mesh traffic flows and provides platform teams with a consistent developer experience aligned with the Kubernetes standard.
Finally, there is experimental support for agent gateway. This project, originally created by Solo.io and now a Linux Foundation project, is focused on processing dynamic AI traffic patterns.
Istio after nine years
“After nine years, Istio continues to evolve to meet users where they are and where they’re headed,” said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO, CNCF. “These new updates signal Istio’s commitment to being the service mesh of the future for agentic workloads and more.”
Tip: Istio becomes a more stable platform with latest update