Brass Contributor

Feb 17, 2025

Boosting Performance with the Latest Generations of Virtual Machines in Azure

Microsoft Azure recently announced the availability of the new generation of VMs (v6)—including the Dl/Dv6 (general purpose) and El/Ev6 (memory-optimized) series. These VMs are powered by the latest Intel Xeon processors and are engineered to deliver:

Up to 30% higher per-core performance compared to previous generations.
Greater scalability, with options of up to 128 vCPUs (Dv6) and 192 vCPUs (Ev6).
Significant enhancements in CPU cache (up to 5× larger), memory bandwidth, and NVMe-enabled storage.
Improved security with features like Intel® Total Memory Encryption (TME) and enhanced networking via the new Microsoft Azure Network Adaptor (MANA).

By Microsoft

Evaluated Virtual Machines and Geekbench Results

The table below summarizes the configuration and Geekbench results for the two VMs we tested.

VM1 represents a previous-generation machine with more vCPUs and memory, while VM2 is from the new Dld e6 series, showing superior performance despite having fewer vCPUs.

VM1 features

VM1 - D16S V5 (16 Vcpus - 64GB RAM)

VM2 features

VM2 - D16ls v6 (16 Vcpus - 32GB RAM)

Key Observations:

Single-Core Performance: VM2 scores 2013 compared to VM1’s 1570, a 28.2% improvement. This demonstrates that even with half the vCPUs, the new Dld e6 series provides significantly better performance per core.

Multi-Core Performance: Despite having fewer cores, VM2 achieves a multi-core score of 12,566 versus 9,454 for VM1, showing a 32.9% increase in performance.

VM 1

VM 2

Enhanced Throughput in Specific Workloads:

File Compression: 1909 MB/s (VM2) vs. 1654 MB/s (VM1) – a 15.4% improvement.
Object Detection: 2851 images/s (VM2) vs. 1592 images/s (VM1) – a remarkable 79.2% improvement.
Ray Tracing: 1798 Kpixels/s (VM2) vs. 1512 Kpixels/s (VM1) – an 18.9% boost.

These results reflect the significant advancements enabled by the new generation of Intel processors.

Score VM 1

VM 1

Score VM 2

VM 2

Evolution of Hardware in Azure: From Ice Lake-SP to Emerald Rapids

Technical Specifications of the Processors Evaluated

Understanding the dramatic performance improvements begins with a look at the processor specifications:

Intel Xeon Platinum 8370C (Ice Lake-SP)

Architecture: Ice Lake-SP
Base Frequency: 2.79 GHz
Max Frequency: 3.5 GHz
L3 Cache: 48 MB
Supported Instructions: AVX-512, VNNI, DL Boost

VM 1

Intel Xeon Platinum 8573C (Emerald Rapids)

Architecture: Emerald Rapids
Base Frequency: 2.3 GHz
Max Frequency: 4.2 GHz
L3 Cache: 260 MB
Supported Instructions: AVX-512, AMX, VNNI, DL Boost

VM 2

Impact on Performance

Cache Size Increase: The jump from 48 MB to 260 MB of L3 cache is a key factor. A larger cache reduces dependency on RAM accesses, thereby lowering latency and significantly boosting performance in memory-intensive workloads such as AI, big data, and scientific simulations.
Enhanced Frequency Dynamics: While the base frequency of the Emerald Rapids processor is slightly lower, its higher maximum frequency (4.2 GHz vs. 3.5 GHz) means that under load, performance-critical tasks can benefit from this burst capability.
Advanced Instruction Support: The introduction of AMX (Advanced Matrix Extensions) in Emerald Rapids, along with the robust AVX-512 support, optimizes the execution of complex mathematical and AI workloads.
Efficiency Gains: These processors also offer improved energy efficiency, reducing the energy consumed per compute unit. This efficiency translates into lower operational costs and a more sustainable cloud environment.

Beyond Our Tests: Overview of the New v6 Series

While our tests focused on the Dld e6 series, Azure’s new v6 generation includes several families designed for different workloads:

1. Dlsv6 and Dldsv6-series

Segment: General purpose with NVMe local storage (where applicable)
vCPUs Range: 2 – 128
Memory: 4 – 256 GiB
Local Disk: Up to 7,040 GiB (Dldsv6)
Highlights: 5× increased CPU cache (up to 300 MB) and higher network bandwidth (up to 54 Gbps)

2. Dsv6 and Ddsv6-series

Segment: General purpose
vCPUs Range: 2 – 128
Memory: Up to 512 GiB
Local Disk: Up to 7,040 GiB in Ddsv6
Highlights: Up to 30% improved performance over the previous Dv5 generation and Azure Boost for enhanced IOPS and network performance

3. Esv6 and Edsv6-series

Segment: Memory-optimized
vCPUs Range: 2 – 192* (with larger sizes available in Q2)
Memory: Up to 1.8 TiB (1832 GiB)
Local Disk: Up to 10,560 GiB in Edsv6
Highlights: Ideal for in-memory analytics, relational databases, and enterprise applications requiring vast amounts of RAM

Note: Sizes with higher vCPUs and memory (e.g., E128/E192) will be generally available in Q2 of this year.

Key Innovations in the v6 Generation

Increased CPU Cache: Up to 5× more cache (from 60 MB to 300 MB) dramatically improves data access speeds.
NVMe for Storage: Enhanced local and remote storage performance, with up to 3× more IOPS locally and the capability to reach 400k IOPS remotely via Azure Boost.
Azure Boost: Delivers higher throughput (up to 12 GB/s remote disk throughput) and improved network bandwidth (up to 200 Gbps for larger sizes).
Microsoft Azure Network Adaptor (MANA): Provides improved network stability and performance for both Windows and Linux environments.
Intel® Total Memory Encryption (TME): Enhances data security by encrypting the system memory.
Scalability: Options ranging from 128 vCPUs/512 GiB RAM in the Dv6 family to 192 vCPUs/1.8 TiB RAM in the Ev6 family.
Performance Gains: Benchmarks and internal tests (such as SPEC CPU Integer) indicate improvements of 15%–30% across various workloads including web applications, databases, analytics, and generative AI tasks.

My personal perspective and point of view

The new Azure v6 VMs mark a significant advancement in cloud computing performance, scalability, and security. Our Geekbench tests clearly show that the Dld e6 series—powered by the latest Intel Xeon Platinum 8573C (Emerald Rapids)—delivers up to 30% better performance than previous-generation machines with more resources.

Coupled with the hardware evolution from Ice Lake-SP to Emerald Rapids—which brings a dramatic increase in cache size, improved frequency dynamics, and advanced instruction support—the new v6 generation sets a new standard for high-performance workloads. Whether you’re running critical enterprise applications, data-intensive analytics, or next-generation AI models, the enhanced capabilities of these VMs offer significant benefits in performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.