The AMD Helios deployment on Microsoft Azure will expand the strategic partnership between Microsoft and AMD to support artificial intelligence workloads.
Technical Specifications of the AMD Helios deployment
The integrated platform combines AMD Instinct MI455X graphics processing units and sixth-generation AMD EPYC Venice processors. It also incorporates Pensando networking hardware and ROCm software to manage large-scale training and inference tasks.
AMD plans to begin shipping the hardware for the AMD Helios deployment to customers, including Microsoft, during the second half of 2026. This integration aims to scale cloud networking performance across the Azure infrastructure fleet.
New Virtual Machine Instances on Azure
Microsoft will introduce two new virtual machine series powered by the sixth-generation AMD EPYC processors. The Azure HDv2 series will target agentic artificial intelligence apps and data pipelines.
Meanwhile, the Azure HXv2 series will focus on semiconductor design workloads. These additions expand the existing portfolio of AMD-powered computing options available to enterprise customers.
Networking and Infrastructure Integration
The partnership also extends to the networking layer of the cloud platform. Microsoft is deploying AMD Pensando data processing units within its backend networking infrastructure and select Azure services.
Furthermore, the companies are integrating Azure Boost with AMD silicon technologies. This integration aims to improve connection processing and overall networking efficiency at cloud scale.
Executive Statements on the Partnership
Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, stated that the new deployments mark a milestone in delivering compute solutions to Azure customers.
“Microsoft’s new AMD deployments mark an important milestone as we deliver leadership compute solutions to Azure customers and scale the next generation of AI infrastructure together.”
Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD
Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said that the collaboration expands the Azure infrastructure portfolio. He stated that the AMD Helios deployment provides customers with the performance and scale needed for modern applications.
“Through our collaboration with AMD, we are expanding the Azure infrastructure portfolio with AMD Helios to give customers the performance, scale and choice they need to build and run the next generation of AI applications.”
Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft
Enterprise customers can access this infrastructure through Azure Foundry Managed Compute. This setup allows model builders to train and serve large-scale models using dedicated hardware.
The collaboration represents a long-term commitment to developing open infrastructure. Both companies plan to continue updating their hardware offerings as demand for cloud-based computing resources increases.
