Kong has released version 2.9 of its Kong Ingress Controller (KIC), focusing on enhancing solution extensibility, deployment flexibility, and reducing ownership costs. The new version achieves 99% conformance with the Kubernetes Gateway API 0.6.1, introduces support for gRPC routes, and improves visibility through Kubernetes Events by offering insights into configuration conflicts. It also allows independent scaling of the Ingress Controller and Kong Gateway data planes to optimize resource use and cost-efficiency. The Gateway Discovery feature automates the detection of data planes, facilitating dynamic scaling and reducing administrative overhead. These updates aim to provide users with a more flexible and efficient tool for managing their Kubernetes networking needs.