Generated on: April 16, 2026 Target period: Within the last 24 hours Processing mode: Details Mode Number of updates: 2 items
Published: April 15, 2026 17:30:33 UTC Link: Retirement: End of lift reminder of HBv2/HC-Series/NP-Series Azure Virtual Machine in Azure Batch Pool
Update ID: 559751 Data source: Azure Updates API
Categories: Compute, Batch, Retirements
Summary:
What was updated
Microsoft announced the retirement of HBv2-series, HC-series, and NP-series Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) in Azure Batch pools, effective May 31, 2027.
Target audience affected
This update impacts developers, IT professionals, and organizations using HBv2, HC, or NP-series VMs in Azure Batch workloads, such as high-performance computing (HPC), AI, and GPU-accelerated tasks.
Details:
Azure Update: Retirement of HBv2/HC-Series/NP-Series Azure Virtual Machines in Azure Batch Pools (Effective May 31, 2027)
Background and Purpose of the Update
Microsoft Azure has announced the retirement of HBv2-series, HC-series, and NP-series Virtual Machines (VMs) within Azure Batch pools, effective May 31, 2027. This update serves as an end-of-life (EOL) reminder for these specific VM sizes in the context of Azure Batch, which is Azure’s managed service for running large-scale parallel and high-performance computing (HPC) batch jobs efficiently in the cloud. The retirement aligns with Azure’s lifecycle management policies, ensuring customers transition to newer, more performant, and secure VM offerings.
Specific Features and Detailed Changes
The following VM series will no longer be supported in Azure Batch pools after the retirement date:
After May 31, 2027, these VM sizes cannot be provisioned in new or existing Azure Batch pools. Existing Batch pools using these VM sizes will need to migrate to supported VM series to maintain service continuity.
Technical Mechanisms and Implementation Methods
Azure Batch pools are logical groupings of compute nodes (VMs) that execute parallel tasks. The retirement means that the Azure Batch resource provider will no longer allow allocation, scaling, or scheduling of jobs to HBv2, HC, or NP-series VMs. Any API calls, ARM templates, or Azure CLI/PowerShell scripts referencing these VM sizes for Batch pools will fail after the retirement date. Customers must update their deployment and scaling scripts to use supported VM sizes.
Use Cases and Application Scenarios
The affected VM series are commonly used in scenarios such as:
Organizations leveraging Azure Batch for these HPC and AI workloads must plan to transition to newer VM series, such as HBv3 or HC-series successors, to ensure continued support and access to the latest hardware features.
Important Considerations and Limitations
Integration with Related Azure Services
Azure Batch integrates with other Azure services such as Azure Storage (for input/output data), Azure Key Vault (for secrets management), and Azure Monitor (for monitoring and logging). This retirement specifically impacts the compute layer within Batch pools; integration with these services remains unchanged. Customers should ensure that their end-to-end workflows are tested with the new VM series to maintain seamless integration and performance.
Summary Sentence
Microsoft Azure will retire support for HBv2, HC, and NP-series Virtual Machines in Azure Batch pools on May 31, 2027; customers must migrate Batch workloads to supported VM sizes before this date to ensure uninterrupted service.
Published: April 15, 2026 17:15:38 UTC Link: Generally Available: Encrypt Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks with Cross Tenant Customer Managed Keys
Update ID: 559761 Data source: Azure Updates API
Categories: Launched, Storage, Azure Disk Storage, Compliance, Security
Summary:
What was updated
Azure now supports general availability of cross-tenant customer-managed keys (CMK) encryption for Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks.
Key changes or new features
Managed disks (Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks) can now be encrypted using a customer-managed key stored in an Azure Key Vault that resides in a different Microsoft Entra tenant. This enables organizations to separate disk resources and key management across tenants, supporting advanced security and compliance scenarios such as mergers, acquisitions, or cross-organization collaboration.
Target audience affected
Azure developers, IT professionals, and security administrators managing disk encryption, especially those working in multi-tenant environments or with strict compliance requirements.
Link: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=559761
Details:
Azure Update Technical Explanation
Title: Generally Available: Encrypt Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks with Cross Tenant Customer Managed Keys
Link: Azure Update
Background and Purpose of the Update
This update introduces the general availability of cross-tenant customer-managed keys (CMK) support for encrypting Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks in Azure. Traditionally, customer-managed keys for disk encryption were limited to key vaults within the same Microsoft Entra tenant as the managed disks. The purpose of this update is to enhance data security and compliance by allowing organizations to store and manage encryption keys in an Azure Key Vault located in a different Microsoft Entra tenant than the one hosting the disks.
Specific Features and Detailed Changes
Technical Mechanisms and Implementation Methods
Use Cases and Application Scenarios
Important Considerations and Limitations
Integration with Related Azure Services
Summary Sentence:
Cross-tenant customer-managed key encryption for Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks is now generally available, enabling organizations to use encryption keys stored in an Azure Key Vault in a different Microsoft Entra tenant for enhanced security and centralized key management.
This report was automatically generated - 2026-04-16 03:02:24 UTC