Lightweight k0s enables scalable, reliable, and cost-efficient edge operations for next-generation energy infrastructure in Japan
CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#AI--Mirantis, delivering Kubernetes-native infrastructure for AI, today announced that PowerX, Inc., a provider of next-generation energy storage and distribution technologies, has successfully deployed Mirantis k0s across hundreds of distributed edge devices nationwide in Japan, enabling scalable, reliable Kubernetes operations for PowerX’s expanding network of electric vehicle charging stations and battery energy storage systems (BESS), and accelerating the rollout of clean energy infrastructure in Japan.
PowerX selected k0s, a compact, fully open source Kubernetes distribution, to standardize operations across heterogeneous edge hardware while maintaining performance on resource-constrained devices. The result is a unified, cloud-to-edge Kubernetes architecture that improves reliability, reduces operational complexity, and lowers costs.
“k0s has been easy to operate thanks to its single-binary architecture, while still providing the right level of flexibility for customization,” said Koichi Yoshigoe, senior engineering manager, PowerX, Inc. “This has enabled us to manage our edge infrastructure with low operational overhead and cost efficiency.”
“Energy infrastructure is becoming increasingly software-defined, and that requires a consistent, scalable platform from cloud to edge,” said Randy Bias, vice president, Open Source Strategy and Technology at Mirantis. “With k0s, PowerX can run Kubernetes anywhere -- from central cloud systems to constrained edge devices -- without trade-offs in reliability or manageability.”
PowerX’s rapid growth required managing a few hundreds geographically distributed edge nodes supporting EV charging and energy storage systems. These nodes included a mix of ARM-based and Intel-based devices with varying resource constraints, all requiring consistent deployment and monitoring.
Previously, maintaining separate software stacks across device types created operational overhead and limited scalability. PowerX needed a solution that could:
- Run efficiently on low-resource edge devices;
- Standardize deployments across heterogeneous hardware;
- Provide real-time observability across all sites;
- Reduce data transmission and operational costs.
By deploying k0s, PowerX established a hybrid Kubernetes architecture with:
- Cloud control plane - Hosted on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE);
- Shared services - Running on cloud compute instances;
- Edge nodes - Running k0s agents as Kubernetes workers.
Using GitOps workflows with ArgoCD, PowerX achieved consistent, declarative deployments across all environments. Observability was unified through Prometheus and OpenTelemetry, enabling real-time monitoring of both cluster-level and device-level performance.
This architecture allows PowerX to scale seamlessly while maintaining operational visibility and control across its distributed infrastructure.
Since deploying k0s, PowerX has realized measurable improvements:
- Scalability - Efficiently managing hundreds of heterogeneous edge devices through a unified Kubernetes stack;
- Reliability - Leveraging Kubernetes self-healing to reduce downtime and improve system availability;
- Operational simplicity - Eliminating multiple software versions and reducing engineering overhead;
- Cost efficiency - Minimizing resource usage and avoiding vendor lock-in with open source technology;
- Observability - Unified dashboards providing real-time insights across all edge systems.
These gains position PowerX to continue expanding its clean energy infrastructure while maintaining operational efficiency.
PowerX’s deployment demonstrates how Kubernetes can serve as a unifying control plane for modern, distributed systems -- bridging cloud and edge to support real-world infrastructure at scale.
As industries from energy to manufacturing adopt edge computing, the ability to run Kubernetes consistently across environments will be essential. Mirantis continues to invest in compact, production-grade Kubernetes solutions that enable organizations to operationalize distributed infrastructure at scale.
For more information, read the full case study in English or Japanese.
About PowerX Inc.
PowerX is an emerging Japanese company developing next-generation energy storage and distribution technologies, including grid-scale battery energy storage systems, EV charging infrastructure, and innovative electric power transport solutions. Learn more at www.power-x.jp
About Mirantis
Mirantis delivers the fastest path to profitable, scalable GPU cloud infrastructure for neoclouds and enterprise AI factories, with full-stack AI infrastructure technology that removes complexity and streamlines operations across the AI lifecycle, from Metal-to-Model. Through k0rdent AI and strategic partnerships, Mirantis enables organizations to transform GPU cloud economics with production-grade multi-tenancy, intelligent workload orchestration, and automated operations that maximize utilization and profitability. With more than 20 years delivering mission-critical open source cloud technologies, Mirantis provides the end-to-end automation, enterprise security and governance, and deep expertise in Kubernetes and GPU orchestration that organizations need to reduce time to market and efficiently scale cloud native, virtualized, and GPU-powered applications across any environment – on-premises, public cloud, hybrid, or edge.
Mirantis serves many of the world’s leading enterprises, including Adobe, Ericsson, Inmarsat, MetLife, PayPal, and Societe Generale. Learn more at www.mirantis.com.
Mirantis is a registered trademark of Mirantis, Inc. Metal-to-Model is a trademark of Mirantis, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contacts
Joseph Eckert for Mirantis
jeckert@eckertcomms.com
