Even more AI: RHEL and OpenShift get AI assistance with "Lightspeed"

Red Hat has added AI functions to its Linux distribution Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and its container platform OpenShift. Lightspeed allows users to access documentation, manuals and practical tips via an AI chatbot. Users can also request information about their Kubernetes clusters in a technical preview. This means that Lightspeed's potential help goes beyond reading the generally available documents and is customer-specific. Customers can also enrich Lightspeed with their knowledge in a technical preview.

Red Hat AI gets Llama and MCP

There are also new developments at Red Hat AI itself. The Llama technology originally developed by Meta is now integrated in a preview version for developers. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is also included. It is widely used as a standard in the field of agent-based AI and is intended to provide a uniform architecture with which language models can access files, interfaces, and tools. Red Hat AI is now also available in the Google Cloud Marketplace, in addition to AWS and Azure.

The company also introduced Red Hat Edge Manager. It can be used to manage edge devices and their applications. The software control is similar to the management of several Kubernetes clusters as a unit. Communication with the end devices takes place via mTLS. FIDO Device Onboarding, for example, is used for hardware management. The tool initially appears as a technical preview and is based on Red Hat Device Edge, an adapted RHEL for operating infrastructures outside the data center.

RHEL comes on four wheels

Red Hat had already announced its intention to deliver an operating system for software-defined vehicles (SDV) in 2021, in which essential vehicle functions are implemented in software. Red Hat Device Edge is to form the basis for this. For practical use, however, the system must fulfill various requirements, such as the functional safety of road vehicles and their management. The company already has a corresponding certificate for its platform. Red Hat plans to present its operating system for SDV in fall 2025.

Red Hat also officially announced the release of RHEL 10 at its in-house exhibition. The Linux distribution includes a so-called image mode, which allows admins to keep their systems up to date with fewer interruptions. The developers have also implemented new encryption standards to better withstand the possibilities of quantum computers. The company also presented a virtual inference server for trained AI models in Kubernetes containers.

(dmk)