Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/20/microsoft_azure_custom_amd/
Source: The Register
Title: Microsoft unveils beefy custom AMD chip to crunch HPC workloads on Azure
Feedly Summary: In-house DPU and HSM silicon also shown off
Ignite One of the advantages of being a megacorp is that you can customize the silicon that underpins your infrastructure, as Microsoft is demonstrating at this week’s Ignite conference in Chicago.…
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: Microsoft is unveiling custom silicon innovations at the Ignite conference, targeting enhancements in Azure’s HPC capabilities and security features. This includes the Azure HBv5 virtual machine powered by custom AMD processors and the introduction of local hardware security modules, which aim to improve performance and reduce latency in data processing and security operations.
Detailed Description:
– **Custom Processor Development**: Microsoft is introducing a custom AMD Epyc 9V64H processor for Azure’s high-performance computing (HPC) workloads, designed to enhance CPU-based supercomputing.
– The Azure HBv5 virtual machine can utilize up to four Epyc processors with 352 cores and robust memory efficiency, supporting high memory bandwidth, which is vital for intensive applications such as computational fluid dynamics and energy research.
– **Performance Metrics**:
– Up to 4 GHz peak frequency of custom AMD CPUs.
– Significant memory bandwidth improvements: up to 6.9 TBps, reportedly 8x more than competitors.
– Each virtual machine instance features a local 14 TB NVMe SSD, with high-speed read and write capabilities, facilitating faster data handling and analysis for HPC tasks.
– **New DPU Integration**: Microsoft’s new Azure Boost DPU will offload network and storage tasks from host CPUs, improving data center efficiency.
– This technology incorporates programmable chips that integrate high-speed networking and security features, enhancing Azure’s agility and capacity to manage workloads effectively.
– **Local Hardware Security Module (HSM)**: The Azure Integrated HSM is designed to provide local encryption/decryption services and secure key management without network latency.
– By eliminating delays from remote HSM calls, Azure ensures faster, more efficient security operations, particularly important for confidential and general-purpose virtual machines and containers.
– Starting next year, every new server on Azure will be equipped with the Azure Integrated HSM, highlighting Microsoft’s commitment to enhancing security at the hardware level.
This information holds significant relevance for professionals in cloud computing and security domains, illuminating Microsoft’s strategic advancements in improving cloud performance and security. The introduction of custom silicon and integrated hardware security features reflects a growing trend among cloud providers to enhance service efficiency while tightening data protection and compliance measures.