The Evolution of Platform Engineering – From Developer Platforms to AI-Native Platforms
Platform engineering is entering a new phase, from internal developer platforms that streamline delivery to AI-native platforms that actively participate in operations. Traditional IDPs brought self-service, standardization, and golden paths on top of Kubernetes. Now, platforms are becoming intelligent systems that learn from telemetry and understand system-wide context.
As platforms evolve, they connect data across services, infrastructure, telemetry, and workflows into a context graph, transforming raw signals into structured, relational context. This is critical for AI agents, enabling accurate root cause analysis and better decision-making grounded in real system relationships rather than isolated data.
Using OpenChoreo, a CNCF Sandbox project, as a reference, this talk highlights how modern platforms combine CI/CD, GitOps, observability, and governance with MCP-powered interfaces, built-in AI agents, and reusable agent skills, enabling a shift from human-driven workflows to agent-assisted, adaptive platforms and providing a clear path to AI-native platform engineering.
Speakers
Lakmal Warusawithana is GM of the Choreo BU, VP and Distinguished Engineer at WSO2, specializing in cloud-native platforms, Kubernetes, and platform engineering. He is a maintainer of OpenChoreo, a CNCF Sandbox project, and has led the design of scalable developer platforms for enterprises. Previously, he was VP of the Apache Stratos PaaS project and co-founded thinkCube, building cloud platforms for telecom operators. Lakmal is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.