Microsoft, AMD expand partnership to deploy Helios on Azure

Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices announced a significant expansion of their strategic partnership on Monday, July 20, 2026, centered on deploying AMD's new Helios rackscale AI system across the Azure cloud platform. The move positions AMD as a more integrated alternative to Nvidia within Microsoft’s AI infrastructure.

At the core of the agreement is AMD's Helios platform, a full-stack system combining the company's Instinct MI455X GPUs, sixth-generation EPYC "Venice" server CPUs, Pensando data processing units, and the ROCm software stack. Microsoft plans to deploy Helios to support large-scale AI inference workloads, including frontier AI models and Azure AI services. AMD stated it will begin shipping Helios systems to customers, including Microsoft, in the second half of 2026.

The partnership extends beyond the rackscale platform. Microsoft will introduce two new Azure virtual machine series powered by the new EPYC Venice processors. The HDv2 series targets agentic AI and data pipeline workloads, while the HXv2 series is designed for semiconductor design and electronic design automation. Microsoft also announced plans to increase deployment of AMD Pensando DPUs across...