Low-Priority compute nodes migration to Spot-based compute nodes beginning in March 2026

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Azure Batch, in coordination with the Commerce team, will begin a system-initiated migration of all existing Low-priority compute nodes to Spot-based compute nodes in early March 2026. The transition will be executed in a controlled manner and is expected to be completed within several days.

Key details of migration

• No customer action is required prior to migration.
• The migration process will be fully transparent and will not disrupt or interrupt any workloads currently running on Low-priority compute nodes.
• Upon completion, all active Low-priority compute nodes will be converted to Spot-based compute nodes and will continue to operate under Batch managed pool allocation mode.
• Active Spot-based compute nodes previously provisioned via Azure Batch API or SDK within User Subscription pool allocation mode will remain unchanged.
• As Spot-based compute nodes use a different pricing and discount model, customers should expect to see corresponding billing changes beginning with the March invoice.
• After migration, any use of Low-priority properties in the Azure Batch API or SDK will automatically translate into Spot-based compute node allocations. Customers do not need to change their existing code or configuration; Batch-managed pool allocation will handle this transition seamlessly.

Low Priority Compute Nodes have fixed discount pricing while Spot-based Compute Nodes have Dynamic discounts based on Pay as you Go (PAYG) pricing.

If you prefer not to transition to Spot-based compute nodes, you may choose to migrate to dedicated (on-demand) compute nodes.

Please note that such self-managed migration must be completed no later than 28 February 2026. After this deadline, customers will no longer be able to create or utilize low-priority compute nodes within Azure Batch, the existing Low-priority compute nodes will be billed with Spot-based compute node pricing.

We are implementing this change to streamline the platform's compute offering and to align with the broader Spot-based compute node infrastructure across Azure. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we complete this transition. For more information, please reference our documentation or migration guide.