---
slug: "azure-virtual-machines-np-series-retirement"
title: "Azure Virtual Machines: NP-series retirement"
summary: "Retirement date for NP-series Azure Virtual Machines: 31 May 2027. After that date, remaining NP-series VMs are set to a deallocated state and stop working."
cloud: "azure"
service: "Azure Virtual Machines"
service_slug: "virtual-machines"
category: "compute_sku"
type: "retirement"
announced_date: "2026-03-19"
effective_date: "2027-05-31"
effective_precision: "day"
replacement: "NDv2, NCads_H100_v5 or NCasT4_v3 VMs"
affected_versions: ["Standard_NP10s","Standard_NP20s","Standard_NP40s"]
source_url: "https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=548497"
extra_source_urls: ["https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ndv2-series?tabs=sizebasic","https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ncadsh100v5-series?tabs=sizebasic","https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ncast4v3-series?tabs=sizebasic"]
vendor_ref: "548497"
last_checked_at: "2026-11-12T09:55:19.345Z"
created_at: "2026-11-13T13:36:44.208Z"
updated_at: "2026-11-13T13:36:44.208Z"
url: "https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-virtual-machines-np-series-retirement"
short_url: "https://eolwatch.dev/i/69"
markdown_url: "https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-virtual-machines-np-series-retirement.md"
json_url: "https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-virtual-machines-np-series-retirement.json"
---

# Azure Virtual Machines: NP-series retirement

Retirement date for NP-series Azure Virtual Machines: 31 May 2027. After that date, remaining NP-series VMs are set to a deallocated state and stop working.

- Effective date: 31 May 2027
- Cloud: [Azure](https://eolwatch.dev/cloud/azure.md)
- Service: [Azure Virtual Machines](https://eolwatch.dev/services/azure/virtual-machines.md)
- Type: Retirement
- Category: [Compute SKU](https://eolwatch.dev/categories/compute-skus.md)
- Affected versions: Standard_NP10s, Standard_NP20s, Standard_NP40s
- Replacement: NDv2, NCads_H100_v5 or NCasT4_v3 VMs
- Announced: 19 Mar 2026
- Official source: [azure.microsoft.com](https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=548497)
- Last checked: 12 Nov 2026

## What breaks

The retirement covers the sizes Standard_NP10s, Standard_NP20s and Standard_NP40s. After the retirement date, remaining NP-series VMs are set to a deallocated state, stop working and no longer incur billing charges. After the retirement date, NP-series is no longer under SLA and no longer has support included. Purchases of 1-year and 3-year reserved instances ended on April 2, 2026.

## Who is affected

### Affected versions

- `Standard_NP10s`
- `Standard_NP20s`
- `Standard_NP40s`

### Matching resource types

- `microsoft.compute/virtualmachines`
- `microsoft.compute/virtualmachinescalesets`
- `azurerm_linux_virtual_machine`
- `azurerm_windows_virtual_machine`
- `azurerm_virtual_machine`
- `azurerm_linux_virtual_machine_scale_set`
- `azurerm_windows_virtual_machine_scale_set`
- `azurerm_orchestrated_virtual_machine_scale_set`
- `azurerm_kubernetes_cluster`
- `azurerm_kubernetes_cluster_node_pool`

### Fields the check reads

- `vmsize`
- `sku`
- `size`
- `vm_size`
- `sku_name`
- `default_node_pool.vm_size`

### Detected by the estate check from

- Azure Resource Graph export (CSV or JSON)
- Terraform state or plan (JSON)
- ARM template

## What to do

1. Resize or deallocate your NP-series VMs.
2. Change your VM sizes to a product that meets your workload requirements.
3. Microsoft recommends one of these Azure GPU VM families, based on workload needs: [NDv2 VMs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ndv2-series?tabs=sizebasic), [NCads_H100_v5](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ncadsh100v5-series?tabs=sizebasic) or [NCasT4_v3](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ncast4v3-series?tabs=sizebasic).

## Replacement

NDv2, NCads_H100_v5 or NCasT4_v3 VMs

## Sources

- [Official source](https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=548497) (azure.microsoft.com, Official)
- [Additional source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ndv2-series?tabs=sizebasic) (learn.microsoft.com, Official)
- [Additional source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ncadsh100v5-series?tabs=sizebasic) (learn.microsoft.com, Official)
- [Additional source](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/gpu-accelerated/ncast4v3-series?tabs=sizebasic) (learn.microsoft.com, Official)

Last checked against the first source in this list on 12 Nov 2026.

Page: https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-virtual-machines-np-series-retirement | JSON: https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-virtual-machines-np-series-retirement.json

The text on this page is drafted with AI assistance from the vendor's text, checked against the official source and approved by a person before it is published.