Modern Java AI Workloads on Kubernetes 1.33: The 2026 GitOps & CI/CD Playbook

This article discusses how to operationalize Large Language Models (LLMs) at scale using Java 24, Kubernetes 1.33, and modern DevOps patterns. It highlights the importance of numerical processing, vector handling, and reducing cold starts for AI workloads. To achieve this, the article provides a guide on how to build a production-grade AI inference gateway using Java 24, Kubernetes 1.33, and GitOps & CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions and Argo CD. It also covers how to use OIDC for security and standardized sidecar support for Service Mesh and Observability agents.