New Instance Type in Azure for Larger Capacity Workloads

By Dwayne Lessner, Principal Technical Marketing Engineer

April 28, 2025 9:00 am |

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We are thrilled to announce the availability of the AN64 nodes in Azure for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) solution. This exciting development marks a leap forward in performance, scalability and efficiency for customers who run mission-critical workloads in the cloud.

Combined with Nutanix AHV 10 and AOS 7.0, AN64 nodes powered by Intel Xeon SP Fourth-Generation (Sapphire Rapids) processors can empower customers to achieve better performance and density.

AN64 Configuration Details

Configuration	Model
CPU	2x 8462Y+ (32-cores, 2.8 GHz, 300W) Intel Xeon SP Fourth Generation (Sapphire Rapids)
Memory	16x 64 GB (1TB)
Storage	5x 7.68 TB NVMe (38.4 TB)
NIC	50G

Unlocking Performance with Intel and AMX

The Intel Xeon SP Fourth-Generation processor at the heart of AN64 nodes introduces a host of advanced features that are designed to accelerate modern workloads.

One of the most notable advancements is the inclusion of Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions (AMX), a specialized instruction set that can help to boost performance for AI and machine learning workloads.

AMX is particularly important for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) users, as it is designed to help improve the speed of matrix multiplication operations, which are critical for AI and machine learning inference and training tasks.

Double the Storage Capacity for Demanding Workloads

The AN64 nodes also bring a substantial increase in storage capacity, offering double the storage compared to older nodes. With 38.4 TB of NVMe storage per node, the AN64 configuration is equipped to handle storage-intensive workloads with ease.

Whether you're running large-scale databases, big data analytics or virtualized environments, the potential storage capacity can provide the resources you may need to scale without compromise.

For customers with even greater storage needs, we recommend attending the Nutanix .NEXT customer conference this May in Washington D.C. to hear the latest news.

Larger Nodes for Larger Workloads

The AN64 nodes are not just about raw storage capacity. They are also designed to help larger and more complex workloads.

With 32 cores per CPU and 1 TB of memory per node, the AN64 configuration is suited for workloads such as large-scale databases, ERP systems and high-performance computing applications.

These larger nodes allow you to consolidate more workloads into fewer physical servers to help resource utilization and reduce software licenses.

Rollout Schedule and Availability

The rollout of AN64 nodes will start in the UK South, Germany West Central and U.S. East 2 regions. Please get in touch with your local sales teams to find out when additional regions with AN64 will be added. Announcements will also be made at the upcoming .NEXT conference about new regions where AN64 nodes in Azure for NC2 will be supported.

The introduction of AN64 nodes in NC2 represents a step forward for customers to get the right mix of compute and storage for their workloads. Powered by Intel Xeon SP Fourth-Generation processors, AN64 nodes in NC2 can deliver double the storage capacity and support increased densities while handling the most demanding workloads.

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