Broadcom Expands Kubernetes Support with VKS Upgrades, Open-Source Contributions and New Partnerships

Why It Matters

The updates reduce operational complexity and improve reliability for enterprises running AI‑driven, hybrid‑cloud Kubernetes workloads, while the open‑source move and partner ecosystem lock in Broadcom’s relevance in the rapidly evolving cloud‑native market.

Key Takeaways

• Velero joins CNCF Sandbox, offering open-source backup.
• VKS 3.6 supports Kubernetes 1.35 and RHEL.
• Declarative tuning profiles automate performance optimizations.
• Avi Load Balancer replaces NGINX Ingress controller.
• New alliances with F5, Kong, Tigera broaden integrations.

Pulse Analysis

At KubeCon Europe 2026 Broadcom unveiled a multi‑layered plan to make Kubernetes easier for large enterprises while positioning its VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) as a backbone for AI and modern workloads. The company highlighted VKS 3.6, now supporting Kubernetes 1.35, extended lifecycle windows, and declarative performance‑tuning profiles that automate kernel optimizations for data‑intensive applications. By adding Red Hat Enterprise Linux alongside Photon, Ubuntu and Windows Server, Broadcom gives customers the ability to align cloud‑native clusters with existing OS standards, reducing friction during hybrid‑cloud migrations.

Broadcom also moved its Velero backup, restore and migration tool into the CNCF Sandbox, turning a previously vendor‑controlled project into a community‑governed asset. Velero’s native Kubernetes‑level snapshot capabilities address a critical gap for stateful workloads, enabling reliable disaster recovery and cross‑cluster mobility. The open‑source transition is designed to attract broader contributions, improve long‑term sustainability, and reassure enterprises that their data protection stack remains vendor‑neutral as Kubernetes ecosystems evolve.

To complement the platform upgrades, Broadcom announced expanded integrations with F5, Kong and Tigera, delivering validated networking, API‑management and security extensions for VKS deployments. These partnerships aim to eliminate custom integration effort, giving platform teams the flexibility to choose best‑of‑breed tools while maintaining consistent lifecycle support. Together with the replacement of the deprecated NGINX Ingress controller by the Avi Load Balancer, the strategy reinforces Broadcom’s push toward a unified, enterprise‑grade Kubernetes foundation that can scale AI‑driven, multi‑cloud applications with confidence.