By Simon Sharwood
Publication Date: 2026-05-05 04:53:00
Microsoft will stop offering long-term rentals for 17 Azure instance types – most of them powered by CPUs Intel released in the 2010s – again showing that cloud computing isn’t always a seamless and easy choice.
The fun starts on July 1st when Microsoft will stop taking orders for one-year reservations for 13 instance types – Av2, Amv2, Bv1, D, Ds, Dv2, Dsv2, F, Fs, Fsv2, G, Gs, Ls, Lsv2 – meaning it won’t be possible to book a server for a year. Microsoft will retire these instance types in May and November 2028.
For another four instance types – Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, Esv3 – Microsoft won’t allow any more reservations for one or three years, however they’ll remain operational beyond 2028. Redmond’s Retired VM Sizes Migration Guide lists all the details.
Microsoft launched these instance types in the mid-to-late 2010s, so the machines it is retiring are no spring chickens. The newest of the retirees are third-gen VMs and Redmond is now offering seventh-gen machines.
The software giant has published several pages offering advice on what to do, but none of them explain why it’s decided to retire these instance types.
The Register thinks…
