Supply chain issues may be negatively impacting Microsoft’s Azure cloud service, constraining the supply of available server resources.
Customers are reportedly having issues with the number two cloud provider, including an inability to subscribe to new services. The Information ran a piece claiming Microsoft is running out of server capacity, and The Register says the problem may lie in the broader supply chain issues that have plagued the computer industry since the beginning of the pandemic.
According to the reports, even if customers in UK South and UK West can sign up for subscriptions, they cannot deploy compute solutions. Capacity in Washington State appears to be impacted as well.
One likely explanation is the effort Microsoft is exerting to help the Ukrainian government, with the company moving its IT operations to the cloud and helping to combat Russian cyberattacks.
These various factors, in combination with general supply chain constraints, are pushing Azure’s capacity to the limit.
Microsoft told The Register it was experiencing “unprecedented” demand, adding that it would use capacity restrictions as needed to cope with the issue.
“With this surge, coupled with macro trends impacting the whole industry, we’ve taken steps to address customer increases in capacity while also expediting server deployment in our datacenters. Our priority remains ensuring business continuity for customers. In addition to managing and planning for growth, we actively load balance as needed.
“If it does become necessary to put capacity restrictions in place, we will first restrict trials and internal workloads to prioritize growth of existing customers,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.
Interestingly, at least some customers say these constraints are nothing new and have been a long-term problem for the cloud provider. One thing is certain: If Microsoft wants to build on the momentum it currently has, and continue to gain ground on AWS, it will need to address its capacity issues one way or another.