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Azure ND-Series: AI and Deep Learning GPU Virtual Machines

Microsoft Azure offers the ND-series, a family of GPU-optimized virtual machines designed specifically for AI training, deep learning, and high-performance compute workloads. ND-series VMs combine powerful NVIDIA GPUs with high-performance CPUs and fast interconnects for large-scale AI and HPC tasks.

Key Features of ND-Series

1. Powered by NVIDIA GPUs

  • ND-series VMs use NVIDIA Tesla V100 or A100 Tensor Core GPUs, optimized for AI, deep learning, and HPC applications.
  • Supports FP32, FP16, and mixed-precision workloads for optimal AI training performance.

2. High-Performance CPUs

  • Equipped with Intel Xeon Scalable processors, delivering strong performance to support GPU-intensive tasks.
  • Ensures balanced CPU-GPU performance for AI model training and inference.

3. Massive GPU Memory

  • Each GPU provides 16–40 GB of high-bandwidth memory, enabling training of large-scale deep learning models.
  • Suitable for deep neural networks, AI research, and HPC simulations.

4. High-Speed Networking

  • Supports InfiniBand with RDMA, providing low-latency communication for multi-GPU and clustered workloads.
  • Optimized for distributed AI training and HPC tasks.

5. Flexible Machine Types

  • Predefined types range from ND6 (1 GPU) to ND40rs_v2 (8 GPUs) for multi-node AI clusters.
  • Customizable for varying AI training and inference requirements.

6. Integration with Azure Services

  • Compatible with Azure Machine Learning, Azure Storage, and AI tools.
  • Supports NVIDIA CUDA, cuDNN, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and other frameworks for optimized GPU workloads.

Use Cases

  • Deep Learning and AI Training: Large-scale neural network training.
  • High-Performance Computing (HPC): Scientific simulations, financial modeling, and computational research.
  • Distributed AI Workloads: Multi-GPU clusters for AI pipelines.
  • Inference and Analytics: Real-time AI inference on large datasets.

Instance Types and Specifications

Instance Type vCPUs Memory GPUs GPU Memory Network
ND6 6 112 GB 1 x V100 16 GB InfiniBand
ND12 12 224 GB 2 x V100 32 GB InfiniBand
ND24 24 448 GB 4 x V100 64 GB InfiniBand
ND40rs_v2 40 672 GB 8 x V100 128 GB InfiniBand

Note: Specifications and availability vary by region. See the Azure ND-Series VMs page for current details.

Conclusion

Azure ND-series VMs provide highly optimized GPU performance for AI, deep learning, and HPC workloads. With NVIDIA Tesla GPUs, high-bandwidth GPU memory, and low-latency networking, ND-series VMs are ideal for enterprises and researchers running large-scale AI training and compute-intensive applications on Azure.