GitLab Inc., the comprehensive DevSecOps platform for software innovation, and Oracle Corporation, a global technology firm, announced the general availability of a new offering that expands shared artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) functionalities.
What does the partnership mean for joint clients?
Customers can now run AI and ML workloads with GPU-enabled GitLab runners on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). GitLab strives to meet customers where they are, and this collaboration with OCI provides streamlined access to GitLab runners for Oracle users.
Clients benefit from OCI’s high performance, built-in security, and distributed cloud perks, giving them the flexibility to access and deploy cloud services wherever they need them, including on-premises and multicloud environments. Running workloads on OCI provides firms with the scalability, security, and reliability they need to bolster innovation and drive growth.
This collaboration also allows joint customers to connect an existing GitLab instance, regardless of where it is hosted, to a GitLab runner hosted on OCI. With the exponential growth of data and computing power, AI and ML is becoming a critical component of many organisations’ strategies to drive innovation and enhance customer experiences.
“AI and ML functionalities continue to evolve and impact how developers work, allowing them to deliver on innovation promises faster. Using automation tech to drive velocity has been a core pillar of DevSecOps since its inception. The partnership between GitLab and Oracle recognises the importance of offering customers tools to create secure, efficient DevSecOps environments,” said Jim Mercer, Research Vice President of DevOps and DevSecOps, IDC.
What does this mean for GitLab and Oracle?
“Oracle is proud to provide organisations with the high-performance and cost-effective foundation they require to build innovative, secure cloud applications. GitLab’s focus on efficiency and speed aligns with our goals. Together we aim to help customers ship apps faster, streamline their toolchains, and reduce costs while fully taking advantage of AI and ML,” said Leo Leung, Vice President, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Technology.
Commenting on the partnership with Oracle, David DeSanto, Chief Product Officer at GitLab, said, “GitLab is committed to helping our customers innovate faster and more efficiently. Our partnership with Oracle Corporation is critical in providing joint customers with the tools needed to build and deploy production-quality data science workflows with their software.”
“With GPU runners on OCI, our users can run even the most demanding AI/ML workloads easily, allowing them to gain critical insights, reduce time to market, and drive meaningful business outcomes for themselves and their customers,” David DeSanto further added.
Why is the partnership a timely one?
The GitLab 2022 DevSecOps Survey found that artificial intelligence and machine learning adoption is trending upward, with 24% reporting that they use AI/ML, up from 12% the previous year. GitLab’s upcoming 2023 DevSecOps Report shows an even higher interest in AI/ML over the next three years, with 65% of developers using AI/ML for tasks like testing.
However, running AI/ML workloads can be complex and resource-intensive, requiring significant compute resources, data storage, and specialised software tools. The new offering with OCI can cut down the time and labour of developers working on those workloads.
This enables developers to ultimately leverage the power of GPUs for faster model training and inference, which can result in better performance and hopefully, better user experiences. GitLab is available to Oracle customers through its Oracle Cloud Marketplace, enabling the joint customers to create a resilient, high-performance DevOps environment.
