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Main {hardware} engineering at an organization recognized for its huge portfolio of software program functions and methods just isn’t as unusual because it sounds, because the Microsoft Cloud is dependent upon {hardware} as the inspiration of belief, reliability, capability, and efficiency, to make it doable for Microsoft and our prospects to realize extra. The underlying infrastructure that powers our 60 plus datacenter areas throughout 140 international locations consists of {hardware} and methods that sit throughout the bodily buildings of datacenters—enabling thousands and thousands of consumers to execute vital and superior workloads, similar to AI and quantum computing, in addition to unleashing future improvements.
Datacenter {hardware} improvement is crucial to the evolution of the Microsoft Cloud
Because the Microsoft Cloud presents companies and merchandise to fulfill the world’s ever-growing computing calls for, it’s vital that we constantly design and advance {hardware} methods and infrastructure to ship higher efficiency, increased effectivity, and extra resiliency to prospects—all with safety and sustainability in thoughts. Right this moment, our {hardware} engineering efforts and investments focus closely on roadmap and lifecycle planning, sourcing and provisioning of servers, and innovating to ship next-generation infrastructure for datacenters. In our new {Hardware} Innovation weblog sequence, I’ll be sharing a few of the {hardware} improvement and investments which are driving probably the most influence for the Microsoft Cloud and making Azure the trusted cloud that delivers modern, dependable, and sustainable hybrid cloud options. However first, let’s look “beneath the hood” of a Microsoft datacenter:
From server to cloud: the end-to-end cloud {hardware} lifecycle
Our {hardware} planning begins with what prospects need: capability, differentiated companies, cost-savings, and in the end the power to resolve tougher issues with the assistance of the Microsoft Cloud. We combine key concerns similar to buyer suggestions, operational evaluation, know-how vetting, with analysis of disruptive improvements into our technique and roadmap planning, enchancment of current {hardware} in our datacenters for compute, community structure, and storage, whereas future-proofing modern workloads for scale. Our engineers then design, construct, take a look at, and combine software program and firmware into {hardware} fleets that meet a stringent set of high quality, safety, and compliance necessities earlier than deploying them into Microsoft’s datacenters throughout the globe.
Sourcing and provisioning cloud {hardware}, sustainably and securely
With Microsoft’s scale, the methods by which we provision, deploy, and decommission {hardware} elements have the potential to drive large planetary influence. Whereas we work with suppliers to reimagine a extra resilient and environment friendly provide chain utilizing applied sciences similar to blockchain and digital twins, we additionally purpose to have sustainability constructed into each step of the best way. An instance of our sustainability management is the execution of Microsoft Round Facilities, the place servers and {hardware} which are being decommissioned are repurposed—efforts which are anticipated to extend the reuse of servers and elements by as much as 90 p.c by 2025. I might be sharing extra on our Round Facilities progress this yr. We even have in place the Azure Safety and Resiliency Structure (ASRA) as an method to drive safety and resiliency persistently and comprehensively throughout the Microsoft Cloud infrastructure provide chain.
Innovating to ship next-generation datacenter infrastructure
We’re investigating and growing know-how that may enable datacenters to be extra agile, environment friendly, and sustainable to function whereas assembly the computing calls for of the long run. We showcased improvement in datacenter vitality effectivity, similar to our two-phase liquid immersion cooling, permitting extra densely packed servers to slot in smaller areas, and addressing processor overclocking for increased computing effectivity with a decrease carbon footprint. We additionally proceed to put money into and develop workload-optimized infrastructure—from servers, racks, methods, to datacenter designs—for extra customized general-purpose choices in addition to specialised compute similar to AI, high-performance computing, quantum, and past.
Constructing probably the most superior and modern {hardware} for the clever cloud and the clever edge
The journey of constructing Microsoft Cloud’s {hardware} infrastructure is an thrilling and humbling one as we see continuous development in know-how to fulfill the wants of the second. I’ve been within the {hardware} trade for greater than thirty years—but, I’m extra excited every day as I work alongside leaders and consultants on our group, with our companions throughout the trade, and with the open supply neighborhood. Like most of the cloud companies that sit on prime of it, Microsoft’s {hardware} engine runs on consistency in high quality, reliability, and scalability. Keep tuned as we proceed to share extra deep dives and updates of our cloud {hardware} improvement, progress, and outcomes—and work to drive ahead know-how development, allow new capabilities, and push the bounds of what we are able to obtain within the clever cloud and the clever edge.
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