Overview
Microsoft HPC Pack is a Windows‑based high‑performance computing (HPC) scheduler that enables customers to deploy, manage, and operate HPC workloads in on‑premises and hybrid environments. Since its original release, HPC Pack has supported a range of Windows‑centric HPC scenarios, including job scheduling, workload orchestration, and integration with Windows Server–based technologies.
Microsoft is announcing the planned retirement of HPC Pack. For customers looking to run HPC workloads going forward, Microsoft’s supported platform for managed HPC and parallel workloads is Azure Batch. Customers may also adopt any other Azure service as appropriate for their workload. These platforms provide modern, cloud‑native capabilities for scheduling, scaling, and operating HPC workloads on Azure.
Important Dates
- Retirement announcement: August 27, 2026
- End of Support / retirement date: August 27, 2027
After August 27, 2027, HPC Pack will no longer receive feature updates, bug fixes, or standard product support. No new versions or enhancements will be released. Existing HPC Pack deployments will not be forcibly disabled; however, they will be considered unsupported.
Support During the Retirement Period
HPC Pack is now entering a one-year retirement period that ends at End of Support on August 27, 2027. Microsoft will provide limited, retirement-only support during this period. The scope of this support is defined below so customers know what to expect.
What Microsoft will provide during the retirement period:
- Security response, including investigation of applicable security vulnerabilities (CVEs) and any security updates deemed necessary by Microsoft
- Guidance based on existing Microsoft documentation, published best practices, and previously validated HPC Pack configurations
- Assistance with support incidents involving supported HPC Pack components and documented product functionality
What is NOT included during the retirement period:
- Non-security bug fixes
- Performance, reliability, scalability, or optimization improvements
- New features or feature enhancements
- Customer-specific hotfixes, custom code changes, or design modifications
- Validation or certification of new operating systems, hardware platforms, drivers, firmware, third-party software, or dependencies
- Validation of new deployment architectures, configurations, or integration scenarios
- Changes to existing product behavior or design
- Creation of new documentation, guidance, or troubleshooting content
- Troubleshooting that requires new product investigation beyond existing product knowledge, documentation, or previously validated scenarios
- New customer onboarding, solution design, or pre-sales assistance
- Migration planning, migration execution, or migration consulting services
- Support for configurations, integrations, or deployment scenarios that are outside published documentation, established best practices, or previously validated HPC Pack environments
After End of Support (August 27, 2027): HPC Pack will receive no further updates, fixes, or technical support, and deployments will be considered unsupported.
What Customers Should Do
Customers currently using HPC Pack should begin planning migration to a supported alternative as soon as possible. For most scenarios, the following services are recommended:
- Azure Batch – for managed scheduling and execution of parallel and HPC workloads
- Or any other Azure service as appropriate for your workload
Next Steps
Customers who anticipate needing additional planning assistance or migration guidance should engage early with their Microsoft account team or Cloud Solution Architect (CSA) to help ensure a smooth transition and avoid potential disruption. To help us understand customer needs and improve future communications, please complete this Microsoft Form. Share any technical, operational, or business challenges you anticipate during your transition. Your feedback will help us identify common concerns and refine future guidance.