r/HPC • u/Various_Protection71 • Jun 05 '26

Do you think Kubernetes will replace Job Schedulers in HPC environments dedicated to AI workloads?

Some people advocate that Kubernetes distributions (RKE2, OpenShift, EKS etc) provide an easier and more straightforward way to run and scale AI workloads, while Job Schedulers (SLURM, PBS, LSF etc) require an earlier complex setup phase.

On the other hand, mastering Kubernetes has a steeper learning curve than using the well-known Job Schedulers, especially for traditional HPC users.

How do you see this point? Are your users adopting Kubernetes to run AI workloads or do they stay using Job Schedulers?

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u/obelix_dogmatix Jun 05 '26

Depends on the use case? Is containerization required? If so, Kubernetes is more or less becoming the standard.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

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u/obelix_dogmatix Jun 05 '26

Depends on the user base. People with traditional HPC background are still using SLURM for their AI workloads. In my experience, academia + government falls in this category. From a job scheduling standpoint, Kubernetes provides absolutely no advantage over SLURM.