About UTokyo Azure

In August 2023, the University of Tokyo and Microsoft signed a basic agreement regarding future collaboration (news release). Based on this agreement, Microsoft provided the University of Tokyo with a donation (gift) in the form of credits for using Microsoft’s cloud service, Azure.

”UTokyo Azure” is the name of a service that makes Microsoft’s Azure cloud services widely available to members of the University of Tokyo through the gift credits provided. It includes basic services including:

• Virtual machine service for running Linux and Windows and more environments
• A service that operates multiple Linux servers as a cluster (high-performance computing environment)

as well as

• Browser-based computing environment such as Jupyter Notebook
• Services that use Openai AI systems via a browser, and services that use it in API

Furthermore, a wide variety of CPUs and GPUs with various processor models and memory capacities is available, making the service applicable to a diverse range of purposes and fields.

Operation Policies and Goals

Operation is performed by the Information Technology Center, the Information System Department, and the Information System Headquarters. The basic policies and goals are as follows.

• Lower the barrier to entry and minimize the time lag for starting use, encouraging a broad range of users, including first-time users, to take advantage of it. By eliminating the costs and time associated with procuring computing resources that would otherwise be necessary, we hope this service will contribute to accelerating research at the University of Tokyo.
• Make it available for a wide range of uses without restricting fields, provided the purpose is research or education.
  • Note: Usage for administrative tasks is not permitted. For administrative purposes, please continue to use the Microsoft licenses already contracted for the entire university.
• Allow access to as wide a range of Azure services as possible without narrowly restricting the available options.
  • In principle, all services offered by Microsoft Azure will be made available as-is, and the operational team will not interfere with or become involved in individual users’ environments.
  • However, services deemed operationally difficult to provide may be excluded.
  • Services that could easily incur high costs or consume significant resources may be disabled by default.
• Provide a standardized environment of a certain scale to support users who wish to utilize typical use cases without the hassle of setting up their own environment (currently in the planning stage, including a needs assessment).
• Since the gift credits are limited, the total consumption of gift credits across the university will be controlled by setting a target value, within which usage will be free. If usage exceeds the established target, users may be charged based on the amount of the excess.

Terms of Use and Related Information

• Terms of use, the amount of gift credits, cases where usage fees may apply, and the rules for calculating charges for each user are provided on the internal information site (accessible with a University of Tokyo Google account --- ECCS Cloud Mail --- sign-in required). Please refer to this site for more information.

Getting Started

• First, please submit an application via the UTokyo Azure New Usage Application Page (accessible only within the university network).

  • Applications can only be submitted by faculty or staff members who can take responsibility for payment if usage fees are incurred. Students who wish to use the service should consult with an appropriate person in a supervisory role, such as their academic advisor.

• Once your application is approved, a subscription (in Japanese) linked to your UTokyo Account will be assigned for this service.

• After the subscription is created, log in to the Azure Portal using your UTokyo Account to start using the service.

  • You can log in to the portal even without an active subscription.
  • This allows you to check which services are available before applying.

Frequently Used Services and How to Use Them

• under construction

Groups Use

• To share a subscription or resource with a group, grant the required permissions to the subscription or resource in the sharer’s UTokyo Account. See below for details:

• Groups use

FAQ & Support

FAQ

• Frequently asked (or potentially frequently asked) questions are compiled here.

Microsoft Support

• You can contact Microsoft’s support representatives. For technical inquiries related to Azure, please utilize this resource.
• Refer to the following guide for instructions on submitting support requests:
  • Support Requests

UTokyo Azure Support Team

• Inquiries can be made through utelecon technical support desk. However, for general questions about individual service usage or technical issues related to Azure, please understand that due to the wide variety of services and limited available information, it is recommended to contact Microsoft representatives directly.

• UTokyo Azure Support Team in UTokyo: utokyo-azure-group@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp