# Kubernetes Autoscalers

Sedai right-sizes pods and tunes HPA targets based on real workload behavior — filling the gaps native autoscalers leave behind, without conflict.

## The Intelligence Layer Your Autoscalers Are Missing

HPA scales pods, Karpenter provisions nodes, but neither knows whether your workloads are actually sized correctly. Sedai continuously right-sizes pod requests and tunes scaling targets based on real workload behavior, so your autoscalers are always working from accurate inputs.

## Autoscalers Scale Load. They Don't Fix Sizing.

Autoscalers like HPA and Karpenter are reactive by design. The inputs they scale from are usually wrong before scaling even begins.

### Resource requests are set once and inherited blindly.

Estimates go stale, but HPA still scales from whatever they say.

### VPA fights with HPA in live clusters.

Vertical and horizontal autoscaling conflict at runtime, so most teams disable VPA in production or limit it to off-hours, leaving right-sizing unaddressed.

### Node provisioning inherits pod-level inefficiency.

Karpenter bins pods onto nodes based on declared requests, so inflated requests mean larger nodes, lower density, and higher spend regardless of actual utilization.

Sedai is an autonomous Kubernetes optimization platform that continuously right-sizes pod resource requests and tunes HPA scaling targets based on real workload behavior and SLOs. Unlike native autoscalers that scale from static or stale inputs, Sedai learns from live production data to eliminate resource waste, resolve HPA-VPA conflicts, and improve Karpenter bin-packing — without manual tuning or pod restarts.

## Key Capabilities

Sedai adds an intelligence layer at both the pod and node level, filling the gaps that leave native autoscalers guessing.

### Set the Right HPA Target, Not Just a Guess

Sedai analyzes workload behavior and SLOs to autonomously set the optimal HPA target, balancing pod size against replica count for the most cost-effective configuration.

### Get Vertical and Horizontal Scaling at the Same Time

Kubernetes blocks HPA and VPA from running together. Sedai's vertical scaling works alongside HPA, safely adjusting pod requests and limits in small increments — conflict-free.

### Help Karpenter Pack Nodes More Efficiently

Oversized pods waste node capacity. Sedai right-sizes pods first so Karpenter bin-packs onto fewer, cheaper nodes, and recommends instance types based on usage and pricing.

### Consolidate, With or Without Migrating to Karpenter

Whether you stay on Cluster Autoscaler or move to Karpenter, Smart Scheduler delivers the consolidation benefits either way — and when you're ready to migrate, the Migration Assistant handles the cutover safely.

### Move to Karpenter Without the Risk

Already decided Karpenter's the right call? The Migration Assistant automates the cutover from EKS Managed Node Groups, node pool by node pool — with a pre-flight compatibility check and automatic rollback built in.

“We’ve gone from what used to be automated, deterministic workflows to autonomous, with Sedai. The human element is indispensable, and it always will be. But more and more engineering toil is being done by AI, so as humans, we can move up the value chain. That’s how we can deliver what our customers expect of us.”

— Suresh Sangiah, SVP of Engineering // Palo Alto Networks

## Works With Your Stack

### Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA)

### Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA)

### Karpenter

### Cluster Autoscaler

### KEDA

## The Sedai Difference

| Without Sedai | Sedai |
| --- | --- |
| HPA utilization targets are set manually and rarely revisited | Sedai continuously determines and tunes the optimal HPA target based on live workload behavior |
| Kubernetes prevents using HPA and VPA on the same workload | Sedai's vertical scaling works alongside HPA simultaneously, without the native conflict |
| Oversized pods force Karpenter to provision larger, more expensive nodes | Right-sized pods let Karpenter pack workloads onto fewer nodes at lower cost |
| Node autoscalers pick from the full instance catalog without guidance | Sedai recommends a targeted instance type list so autoscalers make more cost-effective selections |
| Scaling decisions are based on infrastructure metrics alone | Sedai factors in application performance and SLOs, ensuring scaling doesn't compromise reliability |
| Node consolidation without Karpenter requires manual tuning — and migrating to Karpenter yourself means navigating config translation and cutover risk on your own. | Smart Scheduler delivers Karpenter-style consolidation whether or not you migrate — and when you're ready to move, the Migration Assistant automates the cutover safely. |

## Resources

## Smarter Inputs. Better Scaling. Lower Costs.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does Sedai do for Kubernetes autoscalers?

Sedai continuously right-sizes pod resource requests and tunes HPA scaling targets based on real workload behavior. It works alongside your existing HPA, VPA, Karpenter, Cluster Autoscaler, and KEDA configurations without replacing them.

### Can Sedai run VPA and HPA at the same time?

Yes. Native Kubernetes blocks HPA and VPA from running together. Sedai's vertical scaling works alongside HPA, adjusting pod requests and limits in small increments without the native conflict.

### How does Sedai improve Karpenter?

Sedai right-sizes pods so Karpenter bin-packs more efficiently, and for EKS teams still on Cluster Autoscaler, the Karpenter Migration Assistant automates a safe move to Karpenter itself.

### Does Sedai require pod restarts?

No. Sedai applies right-sizing changes in small, safe increments during normal pod lifecycle events. It does not force restarts or evictions.

### Which Kubernetes environments does Sedai support?

Sedai supports EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift, Rancher, and self-managed clusters. It works with any combination of HPA, VPA, Karpenter, Cluster Autoscaler, and KEDA.