Azure updates
Get the latest updates on Azure products and features to meet your cloud investment needs. Subscribe to notifications to stay informed.
RSS feedMarch 2024
Azure Sphere version 24.03 and Azure Sphere (Integrated) are now generally available
The Azure Sphere 24.03 release includes Azure Sphere (Integrated) general availability, support for custom certificates to connect to Azure IoT Services, an updated version of cURL for the Azure Sphere OS, security fixes, SDK support for Ubuntu 24.04 pre-release, removal of SDK support for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, and changes to the CMake toolchain.
Azure IoT Edge supports Ubuntu Core Snaps
We are expanding the Azure IoT Edge supported platforms to include Ubuntu Core Snaps on IoT Edge as a Tier 1 supported operating system.
Azure Sphere OS version 24.03 is now available for evaluation
Participate in the retail evaluation now to ensure full compatibility. The OS evaluation for this release period provides 28 days for backward-compatibility testing.
February 2024
General Availability: Trusted launch for Azure VMs in China regions
Azure China cloud regions now support Trusted Launch Virtual Machines to improve security posture of an Azure Virtual Machine.
Generally Available: Azure Stack HCI latest feature release
Target availability: Q1 2024
Azure Stack HCI is the Microsoft Azure Arc-enabled infrastructure. Now, customers who have an Azure Stack HCI subscription can download the latest feature release for their infrastructure. This new Azure Stack HCI release is the version of the product required to run Azure Virtual Desktop on- prem which is also now in GA and called Azure Virtual Desktop for Azure Stack HCI. This is an exciting development as the public preview of this product is in high demand specifically in Healthcare and Financial Services.
January 2024
Automatic Image Creation using Azure VM Image Builder is now generally available
We’re happy to announce automatic image creation using Azure Image Builder is now generally available. This feature improves your speed and efficiency by allowing you the ability to start image builds for new base images automatically.
December 2023
Generally Available: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.9 now supported on Azure Virtual Machines
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8.9 is the latest minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, which provides stability and security for production environments along with bug fixes and enhancements for improved performance and reliability. It also includes more features and capabilities to help customers customize their operating environment while maintaining the consistency needed for more efficient management and deployment across varied infrastructures.
November 2023
Generally Available: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.3 now supported on Azure Virtual Machines
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.3, the latest version of RHEL 9 from Red Hat is now generally available on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs). Availability of RHEL 9.3 for VMs on Azure is a step forward towards offering a more scalable, flexible Linux platform that pairs container innovation with a strong security posture.
Public Preview: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.3 support for AMD-based confidential VMs
RHEL 9.3 is now available in public preview as the guest OS for all AMD-based confidential VMs.
Public Preview: Azure integration with Canonical’s Snapshot Service for safe deployment
Azure Guest Patching Service and Azure Kubernetes Service will now apply the same package update from a specific date to all regions following safe deployment principles.
October 2023
General availability: Azure Sphere OS version 23.10 expected on November 8
Participate in retail evaluation now to ensure compatibility. The Azure Sphere team has also updated the trusted keystore of Azure Sphere devices, resulting in an additional reboot for production devices.
September 2023
Support for select marketplace images for Batch pools will be retired
Target retirement date: January 10, 2024
End of life announcement for select marketplace images for Batch pools
August 2023
Azure Sphere (Integrated) Public Preview
We are excited to announce the Public Preview of Azure Sphere (Integrated), a new management interface for Azure Sphere services that is natively integrated with Azure via the Azure Resource Manager.
July 2023
Windows Server end-of-support (EOS): Upgrade seamlessly with Azure Migrate (Public preview)
Target availability: Q3 2023
With Azure Migrate, seamlessly upgrade legacy Windows servers while migrating to Azure, minimizing effort, downtime, and risk. By creating a copy of the server in Azure and performing the upgrade there, the impact on the original server is minimized, ensuring a secure and efficient transition.
June 2023
General Availability: Azure Sphere version 23.05
The Azure Sphere version 23.05 release includes various new features and developer resources.
General availability: Azure Sphere version 23.05 is delayed to 20 June, and the updated OS has been issued to Retail Eval
Participate in the retail evaluation now to ensure full compatibility. The OS evaluation period provides seven days for backward compatibility testing.
May 2023
General availability: Azure Sphere version 23.05 is delayed, new OS will be issued to Retail Eval
Participate in the retail evaluation now to ensure full compatibility. The OS evaluation period provides 14 days for backward compatibility testing.
Preview: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.2 support for AMD confidential VMs
User of AMD-based confidential VMs can now select the RHEL 9.2 technical preview as their guest OS.
Generally available: Azure Monitor Agent supports Linux Hardening for CIS and SELinux
Linux Azure Monitor Agent is now officially supported and tested on CIS and SELinux Operating Systems and Distros. Monitor will continue to test and support these hardening standards for AMA.
General availability: Azure Sphere OS version 23.05 expected on May 24
Participate in the retail evaluation now to ensure full compatibility. The OS evaluation period provides 14 days for backward compatibility testing.
Azure at Microsoft Build
Get answers to your questions from Microsoft and Community experts.
Community supportRead commonly asked questions on Azure updates.
FAQFind the latest news, updates, and resources for Azure partners.
Azure Partner ZoneTell us what you think of Azure and what you want to see in the future.
Provide feedbackAzure is available in more regions than any other cloud provider.
Check product availability in your region