Enhancing Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine lifecycle

Azure continuously advances through new infrastructure generations, platform capabilities, services, and innovations that lead the industry in performance, security, reliability, and efficiency. Our Virtual Machine (VM) Lifecycle policy guides how we manage these transitions, giving Azure customers transparency, predictability, and guidance to plan for and execute technology changes with confidence. Our goal is to help every organization plan and navigate these modernization steps in line with Azure’s latest innovations and ongoing platform investments.

To give you access to the most advanced cloud and AI infrastructure, deployed on the most sophisticated silicon and hardware, the Azure Virtual Machine lifecycle is built around three customer outcomes:

This lifecycle provides a shared taxonomy, common stages, and consistent commitments for how we communicate technology evolution.

The lifecycle stages, spanning Current, Extended, End of Life, and Retired, are defined below, with dedicated Microsoft investment levels, regional and quota availability, applicable purchasing options, and pricing. The policy establishes clear lifecycle stages, expected customer experiences, and Microsoft’s commitments at each stage so customers can confidently plan, deploy, and modernize workloads over time.

Note: Lifecycle details described in this policy represent general guidance and may be subject to product-specific, regional, or operational exceptions.