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Step 1: Open the Kubernetes page

Start by navigating to AION and opening the Kubernetes console.
  1. In the left navigation, click Kubernetes (under Home).
  2. The Kubernetes page shows a world map and region cards with available GPU clusters, GPU types, and pricing.
You will see cards for each region describing GPU type, availability, RAM, interconnect and price.

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Step 2: Choose a region / cluster and provision

  1. Browse the available region cards and the interactive map. Each card displays:
    • GPU type (H100, H200, etc.)
    • Availability
    • RAM / Interconnect / Storage
    • Price per hour
  2. Select the region / cluster that matches your GPU, memory, and price requirements.
  3. Click Provision on the card for the region/cluster you want to deploy.
After you click Provision, you will move to the project selection step.

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Step 3: Create or select a project

You must either pick an existing project or create a new one before launching a cluster.
  1. On the Project step, either choose Existing Projects or expand Create New Project.
  2. If creating a new project, fill in:
    • Project Name (required)
    • Project Description (optional)
  3. Click Next to proceed to the cluster configuration step.
Your project will appear in the project dropdown when creating or managing clusters.

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Step 4: Configure the cluster and launch

Define the cluster configuration and launch it.
  1. Fill the cluster configuration fields shown in the UI:
    • Cluster Name: A friendly name such as myfirstk8s
    • Nodes: Use the – / + controls to set the number of nodes
    • Image: Select a base image (for deep learning stacks this may include PyTorch/CUDA)
    • SSH Key: Select the public key you uploaded earlier
    • Kubernetes Version: Choose the desired K8s version
    • CNI Plugin, Pod CIDR, Service CIDR and other network fields
  2. Review the Estimated total cost shown in the summary panel on the right.
  3. Click the green Launch button to create the cluster.
The cluster will show a status such as Initializing while nodes come up.

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Step 5: Retrieve the Kubeconfig command

Once the cluster is created it will appear in the Current cluster section.
  1. Open the cluster details from the Current cluster list.
  2. Click KubeConfig (or the KubeConfig button). A dialog appears containing a command you can run from your workstation to print the admin kubeconfig.
The dialog contains a command resembling: 
ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i <path-to-your-ssh-private-key> ubuntu@k8s-<cluster-id>.groundcontrol-aion.xyz sudo cat /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf
Click Copy command or copy the command manually.
Important: Use the exact host and user shown in the dialog. Replace <path-to-your-ssh-private-key> with the path to your private key on your workstation.

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Step 6: Save the kubeconfig locally and connect with kubectl

Run the SSH command (copied in Step 5) locally and redirect the output to a file to save the admin kubeconfig. 
# Replace the key path and host with the values from the UI
ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa ubuntu@k8s-<cluster-id>.groundcontrol-aion.xyz 'sudo cat /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf' > ~/kubeconfig.yaml
Now use the kubeconfig with kubectl: 
# Temporarily use the kubeconfig for the current shell
export KUBECONFIG=~/kubeconfig.yaml
kubectl get nodes

# Or reference directly without exporting
kubectl --kubeconfig=~/kubeconfig.yaml get nodes

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Step 7: (Optional) SSH into a node

If you need to debug at the node level: 
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa ubuntu@<INSTANCE_PUBLIC_IP>
Important: Always keep your private SSH key secure. Use chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa to set correct permissions. Do not share your private key.