HPC Pack 2019 retirement

Microsoft will retire HPC Pack 2019 on August 30, 2027.

After this date, HPC Pack 2019 will no longer be supported. We recommend that you begin planning your transition to supported Azure HPC solutions.

Important dates

Milestone Date
End of support / retirement August 30, 2027

What is changing?

HPC Pack 2019 is reaching the end of its lifecycle and will be retired.

After the retirement date:

  • No further security or product updates will be released.
  • Microsoft technical support will no longer be available.
  • Documentation updates will be limited or discontinued.

Support during the retirement period

HPC Pack 2019 is entering a retirement period that ends at end of support on August 30, 2027. To help you plan and complete your migration, Microsoft will provide bounded, retirement-only support during this period. The following scope explains what to expect.

Microsoft will provide:

  • Security and Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) response, including applicable security updates.
  • Documented best practices.
  • Long-term support enablement on a case-by-case basis.

The following support is not included:

  • Functional bug fixes unrelated to security.
  • Performance, reliability, or scalability improvements.
  • Feature development or enhancements.
  • Customer-specific hotfixes or code changes.
  • Compatibility validation for new operating system versions, drivers, or dependencies.
  • Design changes or behavior modifications.
  • New certifications, environments, or configuration validation.
  • Extended troubleshooting beyond existing documentation.
  • New customer onboarding and pre-sales support.
  • Migration support.
  • Unvalidated environments.

Impact

HPC Pack 2019 clusters will continue to run after the retirement date, but they will be unsupported.

Running unsupported clusters may lead to:

  • Increased security and compliance risks
  • Compatibility issues with newer operating systems or integrations
  • Limited ability to troubleshoot or resolve issues

Who is affected?

You are affected if you:

  • Run on-premises or hybrid clusters using HPC Pack 2019
  • Use HPC Pack job scheduling, cluster manager, or deployment tooling
  • Depend on HPC Pack for production or research workloads

Required action

To avoid unsupported scenarios, you should:

  • Inventory your current HPC Pack 2019 cluster(s)
  • Identify critical workloads and dependencies
  • Evaluate migration options
  • Plan and begin your transition before August 30, 2027

Microsoft recommends transitioning to Azure-based HPC solutions that provide scalability, flexibility, and ongoing support.

Use Azure CycleCloud to deploy and manage HPC clusters in Azure with familiar schedulers.

  • Supports Slurm, PBS, Grid Engine, and more
  • Automates cluster provisioning and scaling
  • Enables hybrid HPC scenarios

For more information, see the Azure CycleCloud Deploy Azure CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm using Azure Marketplace

Option 2: Azure Batch (for cloud-native job scheduling)

Use Azure Batch to run large-scale parallel and batch workloads without managing infrastructure.

  • Fully managed service
  • Autoscaling compute pools
  • Integration with containers and HPC workloads

For more information, see the Azure Batch Run Large-Scale Parallel & HPC Workloads on Azure

Option 3: Azure Virtual Machines (custom HPC clusters)

Re-create or modernize your HPC environment using Azure IaaS:

  • Deploy HPC-optimized VM sizes (HB, HC, ND series)
  • Use custom schedulers or open-source tools
  • Integrate with high-performance storage and networking

Note

When planning your migration, review your scheduler configuration, workload types, storage dependencies, and network requirements to select the best option.

Frequently asked questions

  • Will my HPC Pack 2019 cluster stop working after retirement?

    No. Existing clusters will continue to run, but they will no longer be supported after August 30, 2027.

  • What support is available during the retirement period?

    Microsoft provides bounded, retirement-only support during this period. This support includes security and CVE response, documented best practices, and long-term support enablement on a case-by-case basis. For the full scope, see Support during the retirement period.

  • Is there a direct upgrade path from HPC Pack 2019?

    There is no newer HPC Pack version. You should transition to supported Azure HPC solutions.

  • How long should my migration take?

    Migration timelines vary depending on cluster size, workload complexity, and dependencies. Begin planning early to ensure a smooth transition.

Next steps

  • Assess your current HPC Pack 2019 deployment.
  • Choose a target Azure HPC solution.
  • Start migration planning and testing.
  • Complete your transition before August 30, 2027.

For more information, see the Azure Batch What is Azure Batch or What is Azure CycleCloud.

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