Microsoft and NVIDIA Collaborate to Enhance GPU Support in Windows Server 2025

Microsoft is currently in the process of testing its upcoming Windows Server 2025 operating system, gathering issues and feedback ahead of its planned September 2024 RTM release. This release will support seamless upgrades from older versions of Windows Server.

Today, Microsoft revealed a new feature of Windows Server 2025 called GPU Partitioning, abbreviated as GPU-P. This feature allows IT administrators to combine it with existing functionalities to set up multiple virtual machines.

The GPU Partitioning feature offers numerous benefits. For instance, enterprises may need to migrate virtual machines either as planned or unexpectedly. These virtual machines can restart on different nodes within a cluster, utilizing GPU partitions from those nodes.

In addition to enabling cluster virtual machines to use GPU-P, Windows Server 2025 also introduces the capability for live migration of virtual machines. Live migration enables customers to balance critical workloads across the cluster, completing hardware maintenance or software upgrades without downtime.

To facilitate the use of this feature, Microsoft has added related settings to the Windows Admin Center in Windows Server 2025. These settings help IT administrators to configure, manage virtual machines, and allocate how these virtual machines access GPU partitions.

It's important to note that the GPU-P functionality requires support not just from Windows Server 2025 but also from GPU manufacturers. Currently, Microsoft is collaborating with NVIDIA to ensure that NVIDIA’s GPU chips can support GPU-P.