Metal3 (pronounced “metal cubed”) entered 2026 as one of the newest incubating projects in the CNCF. As the foundational layer for infrastructure management in self-hosted Kubernetes clouds, Metal3 and its ‘stack’ offer essential solutions for cloud service providers, AI-focused distributed systems, edge cloud deployments, and telecom infrastructure. Given the increasing investment in compute infrastructure worldwide, Metal3 addresses a growing number of issues faced by the modern IT industry.
From the start, Metal3 set the ambitious goal of becoming the primary tool for Kubernetes bare metal cluster management across the broader cloud native ecosystem. Real-world feedback is necessary to achieve this, and the community remains committed to increasing the project’s visibility and adoption. Metal3 is at the forefront of automated bare metal lifecycle management and the community is aiming to assist others in achieving the same level of success.
If you’re attending, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe is the perfect opportunity to get better acquainted with Metal3, ask questions, and connect with maintainers and community members. This year’s conference will be one of the most active events yet for Metal3 ever, with a record number of talks and touchpoints for anyone interested in learning about the project.
A packed Metal3 presence at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe
Metal3 has organized a packed presence at the conference, offering a variety of opportunities for attendees to engage with the project. For a quick overview, a concise project status update will be delivered during the lightning talk. For those interested in deeper engagement, there are two in-depth sessions focusing on the project’s governance and path to CNCF Incubation and a real-world adoption use case from the Sylva Project. Additionally, you can meet maintainers and community members for questions and hallway-track conversations at the Metal3 kiosk on the Solutions Showcase floor.
Lightning talk
The first event of the week, a lightning talk, will take place on Monday, 23 March. In classic Metal3 fashion, the community will share a quick status report of the Metal3 project, focusing on future plans toward graduation and beyond, along with highlights of major developments on the roadmap.
If you’re new to Metal3, this session is a great entry point; it’s short, focused, and gives you the “what’s happening” overview you need before you take a deeper dive.
Two in-depth sessions: governance and adoption
In addition to the lightning talk, community members will be presenting two more in-depth sessions around Metal3 governance and adoption.
1) Metal3.io’s Path to CNCF Incubation: Governance, Processes, and Community
Presented by Metal3 maintainers, this session focuses on Metal3’s journey from CNCF Sandbox to Incubation through the lens of governance, processes, and community building.
Be sure to attend if you’re interested in:
- How Metal3 is run as an open-source project
- What changed (or matured) during incubation readiness
- How decisions are made and contributions flow
2) Beyond the Cloud: Managing Bare Metal the Kubernetes Way Using Metal3.io: Sylva Project as a Use Case
This talk approaches Metal3 from the viewpoint of an adopter. The hosts will explain the operational reality and practical use cases of a telco project and Metal3’s role.
Don’t miss this session if you care about:
- What adopting Metal3 looks like in practice
- The value proposition of Kubernetes-native bare metal lifecycle management
- Lessons learned and patterns from real usage in a telco project
Visit the Metal3 kiosk
You can also meet maintainers and community members at the Metal3 kiosk P-21B on the Solutions Showcase floor, from Tuesday, 24 March, to the morning of Thursday, 26 March. This is a great opportunity to connect directly with the people building and operating the project. Whether you have technical queries about implementation, operational questions about running Metal3 in production, governance-related inquiries about its CNCF journey, or if you are simply curious about the project’s future, the kiosk is one of the easiest ways to get answers and context quickly.
Join the conversation
Whether you’re attending KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe to learn, evaluate, contribute to, or compare approaches for managing the lifecycle of bare metal Kubernetes, this event is shaping up to be a key moment for Metal3.
Stop by the kiosk, catch the lightning talk, and join one (or both!) of the longer sessions
The community is eager to meet users and contributors and to discuss the future of bare metal Kubernetes. We welcome new contributors and adopters to our continuously growing community, inviting everyone working with bare metal Kubernetes to share their use cases and feedback. Whether you are already running Metal3 in production or just starting to explore, the community welcomes everyone’s input as an adopter, operator, or contributor. Learn more about how you can get active by visiting: https://metal3.io/contribute.html