Azure Arc Expands with Machine Learning Capabilities

Microsoft’s Azure Arc empowers customers to deploy and manage Azure services within any Kubernetes environment, regardless of its hosting location.

Initially, Arc offered a broad spectrum of functionalities, but support for machine learning (ML) was notably absent upon its initial release.

Bridging the Gap Between Data and ML

A key benefit of a platform like Arc lies in its ability to facilitate workload execution in close proximity to data sources.

Frequently, this proximity is crucial for effectively training ML models.

Azure Machine Learning Now Available on Azure Arc

During the Ignite conference, Microsoft announced the integration of Azure Machine Learning into the suite of Arc-enabled data services.

This addition allows customers to execute training models directly where their data resides.

This approach minimizes data transfer and network latency, all while upholding stringent security and compliance standards.

Enhanced Hybrid and Multicloud Support

According to Azure GM Arpan Shah, extending machine learning to hybrid and multicloud environments provides significant advantages.

The new capability is currently accessible to all Azure Arc customers.

Azure Arc Enabled Kubernetes Generally Available

Alongside the ML integration, Microsoft also announced the general availability of Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes.

This feature enables the deployment of standardized Kubernetes configurations to clusters across diverse environments.

Expanding Azure Stack HCI Integration

Support for Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack HCI has also been introduced.

Azure Stack HCI is Microsoft’s platform for running Azure on standardized, hyperconverged hardware within a customer’s data center.

While predating Azure Arc, it remains a viable option for enterprises seeking on-premises Azure deployments, with continued support from vendors like Dell, Lenovo, HPE, Fujitsu, and DataOn.

Open-Source Kubernetes Compatibility

Microsoft emphasized Arc’s compatibility with any Kubernetes distribution adhering to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) standards.

Collaboration with RedHat, Canonical, Rancher, and Nutanix has ensured the validation of their Kubernetes implementations on Azure Arc.

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