Microsoft has launched a preview of its new Arm-based Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) featuring the Cobalt 100 processor. This development of Azure VMs, announced at the Microsoft Build 2024 event, marks a major step forward in providing more options for developers and businesses looking to leverage Arm architecture in their cloud environments.
Cobalt 100 processor overview
The Cobalt 100 processor is custom-built using Arm’s Neoverse N-series (N2) architecture, optimized for performance and efficiency in scale-out cloud applications. This new processor is designed to deliver up to 40% improved performance compared to previous generations of Arm-based Azure VMs. The Cobalt 100 VMs are engineered to handle a variety of workloads, including web applications, microservices, and open-source databases, offering both performance consistency and linear performance scaling.
Azure VMs featuring the Cobalt 100 processor features
The new Azure VMs featuring the Cobalt 100 processor are available in several series, each tailored to specific workload requirements:
- Dpsv6 and Dpdsv6 Series: These general-purpose VMs are ideal for running scale-out workloads and cloud-native computing solutions, such as those on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). They are well-suited for small to medium open-source databases, application servers, and web servers.
- Dplsv6 and Dpldsv6 Series: Targeted for media encoding, small databases, gaming servers, and microservices, these VMs provide an efficient solution for workloads that do not require higher RAM per vCPU.
- Epsv6 and Epdsv6 Series: These memory-optimized VMs are designed for large databases, in-memory caching applications, and data analytics workloads, offering higher memory per vCPU to meet demanding requirements.
The Cobalt 100 VMs support up to 1.4x CPU performance, 1.5x performance on Java-based workloads, and 2x performance on web servers, .NET applications, and in-memory cache applications compared to previous Azure Arm-based VMs. Additionally, they offer 4x local storage IOPS with NVMe direct and up to 1.5x network bandwidth, enhancing overall performance and efficiency.
Supported operating systems
The Azure Cobalt 100 VMs support a wide range of operating systems, including various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Enterprise, Alma, and Azure Linux. For Windows developers, Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise Insider Preview are available. This broad support ensures that developers can seamlessly integrate their applications into the Azure ecosystem.
Performance
Arm-based processors are known for their cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. The Cobalt 100 VMs are no exception, offering lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for cloud workloads. This makes them an attractive option for enterprises looking to optimize their cloud spending while maintaining high performance. The Cobalt 100 VMs are expected to deliver significant enhancements in performance, particularly for intensive workloads such as AI/ML, big data analytics, and high-performance computing.
Availability
The preview of the Cobalt 100 VMs is currently available in multiple Azure regions, including Central US, East US, East US 2, North Europe, Southeast Asia, West Europe, and West US 2. During the preview period, these VMs are available for free, although Microsoft will charge for services that use these new VMs, such as disk storage and other resources.
The launch of the Cobalt 100 Azure VMs has been met with positive reactions from industry leaders and partners. Companies like Cadence, Elastic, MongoDB, Siemens EDA, and Snowflake have expressed their excitement about the new VMs, highlighting their potential to enhance performance and efficiency for various applications.
As Microsoft continues to innovate and expand its cloud computing offerings, the introduction of the Cobalt 100 processor represents a significant milestone. By providing more options for developers and businesses to leverage Arm architecture, Microsoft is positioning itself as a leader in the evolving landscape of cloud computing.
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