● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Microsoft Expands Azure Circular Centers and Details Hardware Efficiency Improvements
Key points
- New Azure Circular Centers opened in Newport, Wales, and Sydney, Australia.
- Circular Centers manage hardware reuse, refurbishment, and recycling.
- Azure infrastructure density increased 13-fold in cores per rack since 2014.
- Power consumption for tasks on Azure hardware decreased by 90% since 2014.
Expanding Hardware Lifecycle Management
Microsoft has expanded its network of Azure Circular Centers with new facilities in Newport, Wales, and Sydney, Australia. These additions extend the program's reach across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The Circular Centers are responsible for managing the full lifecycle of Azure hardware, including the reuse, refurbishment, and recycling of equipment.
Purpose of Circular Centers
The primary function of these centers is to determine the next useful life for equipment that leaves active service. This process helps recover valuable components, prepare space for new infrastructure, and extract more value from existing hardware and materials. The initiative aims to ensure cost efficiency and reliability by returning materials to the supply chain.
Increased Compute Density and Efficiency
Azure infrastructure has demonstrated significant improvements in compute density and efficiency over time. Since 2014, the number of processor cores per rack has increased approximately 13-fold. Concurrently, the power required to complete the same task has decreased by roughly 90%. For example, a workload that previously consumed 100 watts can now be completed using less than 10 watts.
Impact on Datacenter Operations
This increase in compute density allows Microsoft to provide more server capacity within the same datacenter footprint. By delivering more useful work from each rack, newer infrastructure improves resource efficiency. This supports continued growth and scale to meet increasing cloud and AI demands from customers.
Custom Silicon Example: Azure Cobalt
Azure Cobalt is cited as an example of this systems approach to optimization. This custom-designed cloud processor allows Microsoft to optimize silicon, servers, networking, storage, and software together. Cobalt 200 delivers up to 50% higher performance than Cobalt 100.
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Reporting from
Microsoft has opened new Azure Circular Centers in Newport, Wales, and Sydney, Australia, to manage the lifecycle of its cloud hardware. These centers aim to recover components and maximize value from existing infrastructure, while Azure's hardware has also seen significant efficiency gains, with cores per rack increasing 13-fold since 2014 and power consumption for tasks decreasing by 90%.