Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) has introduced new generative AI inference capabilities that significantly enhance performance and reduce costs. These features include GKE Inference Quickstart, TPU serving stack, and Inference Gateway, which collectively streamline the deployment of AI models, optimize load balancing, and improve scalability, resulting in lower latency and higher throughput for users.

Effective management of request peaks in systems requires understanding and mitigating alignment phenomena that cause overloads. Strategies include spreading demand over time, using uniform jitter to minimize costs, and pacing admissions to match available headroom, while respecting client fairness and operational constraints. Verification through telemetry and performance metrics is essential to ensure that the system operates within safe limits.