Migrate an x86 app to multi-architecture on GKE with Axion
Introduction
Build and deploy a multi-arch application on GKE
Next Steps
Migrate an x86 app to multi-architecture on GKE with Axion
Who is this for?
This is an advanced topic for software developers who are looking to migrate their existing x86 containerized applications to Arm
What will you learn?
After completing this Learning Path, you'll be able to perform the following tasks:
- Add Arm-based nodes powered by Google Axion to an existing x86-based Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster.
- Rebuild an x86-based application to make it multi-arch and run on Arm.
- Add taints and tolerations to GKE clusters to schedule application pods on architecture specific nodes.
- Run a multi-arch application across multiple architectures on a single GKE cluster.
Prerequisites
Before starting, you'll need the following prerequisites:
- A Google Cloud account
- A computer with Google Cloud CLI and kubectl installed
- An existing GKE cluster with x86-based nodes
Summary
This summary was drafted with an approved AI-assisted workflow and reviewed by Arm contributors before publication. Human technical review remains part of the process so the final page reflects engineering rigor, accuracy, and Arm editorial standards.
You’ll extend an existing x86 GKE cluster with Arm capacity using Google Axion-based C4A nodes. First, you’ll rebuild the application image for multiple architectures and configure taints and tolerations for scheduling. Then, you’ll deploy workloads either to selected nodes or both architectures and verify that the multi-architecture image runs across the hybrid cluster.