Kubernetes continues to define the foundation of modern infrastructure. At KubeCon Europe, where the global cloud-native community gathers to shape what comes next, Vultr and SUSE are announcing a strategic collaboration to deliver open, scalable Kubernetes and AI solutions built on trusted infrastructure.

This collaboration marks a new strategic alignment within the Vultr Cloud Alliance, bringing SUSE’s enterprise Kubernetes and AI platforms together with Vultr’s global, high-performance cloud and GPU infrastructure.

Strengthening the open cloud-native ecosystem

Cloud-native architectures built on CNCF and Linux Foundation projects have become the standard for enterprises operating across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Organizations are increasingly looking for platforms that provide:

• Open, portable Kubernetes environments
• Enterprise governance and lifecycle control
• Access to scalable GPU infrastructure for AI workloads
• Independence from hyperscaler lock-in

Vultr and SUSE share a commitment to open source and composable infrastructure. This collaboration combines SUSE Rancher Prime and SUSE AI with Vultr’s global cloud infrastructure, including cloud compute, bare metal, and Vultr Cloud GPU, delivering solutions optimized for performance, cost efficiency, and operational simplicity across Kubernetes and AI workloads.

Together, the companies are enabling organizations to run Kubernetes and AI workloads with enterprise-grade governance, operational consistency, and strong price-to-performance.

SUSE on Vultr Marketplace

As part of this collaboration, SUSE Rancher Prime will be made available through the Vultr Marketplace, providing customers with streamlined access to centralized Kubernetes management running on Vultr infrastructure, offering another option alongside Vultr Kubernetes Engine.

SUSE Rancher Prime is well recognized for providing enterprises with an “easy button” for hybrid IT, bringing together development, virtualization, Kubernetes, security, observability, and automation to seamlessly build, manage, and scale modern applications across environments.

SUSE AI, a CNCF conformant cloud-native AI platform, extends SUSE Rancher Prime Suite and is purpose-built to deploy, manage, and run AI workloads at scale. With SUSE AI, leverage zero-trust security and integrated observability dashboards that provide peace of mind when moving from PoC to production.

Organizations running traditional applications benefit from a cost-efficient environment for CPU-based workloads. For example, Vultr VX1™ instances with SUSE Rancher Prime on top help teams run and manage these applications efficiently while optimizing infrastructure costs, freeing budget for AI initiatives. As organizations expand into AI, Vultr Cloud GPU with SUSE AI supports AI training and inference workloads.

The collaboration brings together two recognized platforms in the market, with SUSE Rancher positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant and Vultr recognized as an Emerging Visionary in Gartner’s Emerging Market Quadrant, strengthening Vultr’s Kubernetes ecosystem while reinforcing SUSE’s commitment to open, CNCF-aligned operations.

Extending Kubernetes innovation into cloud-native AI

The Kubernetes ecosystem is rapidly expanding into AI, as highlighted by Cloud Native AI and Kubeflow Day, co-located with KubeCon. AI workloads are increasingly built and operated on Kubernetes, requiring:

• GPU access for training and inference
• Secure, governed model lifecycle management
• Portable, Kubernetes-native AI platforms

Vultr provides access to high-performance GPU infrastructure from NVIDIA and AMD, enabling scalable AI training and inference across global regions.

Together, Vultr and SUSE are aligning Kubernetes and AI into a cohesive, cloud-native platform architecture, giving organizations the tools to run modern workloads with control, flexibility, and operational clarity.

A composable alternative for modern infrastructure

This collaboration reflects a broader shift in enterprise cloud strategy. Organizations are seeking:

• Open platforms over proprietary stacks
• Cost-efficient infrastructure with strong performance per dollar
• Transparent pricing models
• Portable architectures built on CNCF standards
• Sovereign-ready deployment options

Vultr’s composable infrastructure and Cloud Alliance ecosystem enable customers to select the infrastructure and platform technologies that best fit their stack, including SUSE Rancher Prime for generalized containerized workloads or SUSE AI for enterprise-scale AI workloads.

Looking ahead

The collaboration between Vultr and SUSE represents a shared commitment to advancing open Kubernetes innovation and extending cloud-native architectures into AI.

By combining SUSE’s enterprise Kubernetes and AI platforms with Vultr’s high-performance global infrastructure, the partnership creates new opportunities for organizations building the next generation of cloud-native and AI-driven applications.