Azure virtual machines based on Arm’s Ampere Altra architecture are now generally available.
Microsoft previewed the virtual machines (VMs) throughout the past months. Companies can now use the Arm-based Azure VMs to run large workloads at lower cost. These include highly extensible, cloud-based workloads such as Java and .NET applications, open-source databases, and gaming, media and web servers.
Versions and specifications
The VMs come in three versions. The Dpsv5 series features up to 64 virtual CPU cores per VM and between 4 GB to 208 GB of memory per vCPU. The Dplsv5 series has up to 64 vCPU cores per VM and between 2 GB and 208 GB of memory. The Epsv5 features up to 32 vCPU cores per VM and between 8 GB and 208 GB of memory.
The Azure VMs use Arm-based Altra processors from manufacturer Ampere. The VMs support up to 40 Gbps of network bandwidth and feature premium SSDs and standard HDDs. Ultra Disk Storage can be attached. The series further includes fast local SSD storage and Virtual Machine Scale Sets. Customers can monitor the VMs and protect their data with Azure Monitor and Azure Backup.
Other functionality
Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Enterprise are supported. The VMs also support various Linux distributions, including Canonical Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), SUSE Enterprise Linux, CentOS and Debian. Alma Linux and Rocky Linux will be added at a later stage.
The VMs are now available in Azure regions US, Europe and Australia. Availability will expand from September 1 2022 onwards. Lastly, Azure Arm-based VMs are available in preview for managed Kubernetes clusters through the Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). General availability will follow sometime in the coming weeks.
18 hours ago
