Regulated Research, Azure VIrtual Desktop (VDI) costs

These configurations are examples and do not reflect the exact monthly charges on Azure which are dependent on machine usage. Currently only Windows 11 desktop environments are available. Azure has many more Virtual Machine options, we can accommodate many more configurations to meet specific research needs. Current rates and full options can be obtained by visiting the Azure Pricing Calculator. Be sure to select “Azure Hybrid Benefit” in the Virtual Machines option to get accurate costs using the campus Software Assurance agreement.

Compute Costs

Standard compute (vCPU/RAM) costs

3D compute (vCPU/RAM/GPU/GPU-RAM) costs

Storage Costs

*Backup costs depend on the amount of data added or changed per day (“churn rate”). Estimates here are based on maximum capacity and between a 2% (low) to 5% (high) daily churn rate.

Estimating Azure Costs

Azure VDI pricing is calculated based on the number of hours per month that the VDI is active. By default, a system remains active for 6 hours after the user’s last interaction and then is shut down. The inactivity shutdown is configurable per-VDI and has significant cost implications.

To estimate your costs, first estimate the number of hours the VDI environment will be active (including inactivity shutdown period) per month. Multiply the number of hours by your hourly compute cost and then add the storage and backup charges.

• Example A: (8 hr/day + 6 hr inactivity) * 5 days/wk * 4 wk/mo = 280 hr/mo
• Example B: (8 hr/day + 2 hr inactivity) * 5 days/wk * 4 wk/mo = 200 hr/mo
• Example C: (12 hr/day + 4 hr inactivity) * 3 days/wk * 4 wk/mo = 192 hr/mo

D8as v6, 256 GB storage, average churn rate

NV16as v4, 1024 GB storage, average churn rate