AWS Azure Interconnect 2026 Explained: Multicloud Preview
31 Aug: AWS and Microsoft preview on-demand private links to Azure in four AWS regions. Google Cloud and OCI are already GA on the same spec.
To read the 31 August 2026 cloud story, split two facts: this is an on-demand private cloud-to-cloud link in preview, not a merger of AWS and Azure; Azure is preview, not global GA.
AWS What’s New and Microsoft’s Azure blog posted the same day: AWS Interconnect – multicloud now reaches Azure as Azure Multicloud Interconnect. Google Cloud and OCI are already marked GA by AWS.
What the announcement actually ships
Cross-cloud links used to mean physical plants, several carriers, and weeks of wait. Both vendors now sell console provisioning of private high-speed paths instead of another construction ticket.
Azure is preview; two others are GA
AWS is explicit: Microsoft Azure (Preview), OCI (GA), Google Cloud (GA). Treating all three as the same maturity mis-times a buy.
Security and uptime are the join bar
Kennedy named MACsec, four nines, and one-click scale. A CSP that cannot meet the security and availability bar, AWS says, does not get connected.
Four paths, not a single circuit
When a customer creates an Interconnect, both sides provision four independent logical paths. AWS says a router outage, two simultaneous independent disruptions, or even a full site loss should leave traffic on the remaining site. That is a design claim; treat preview SLAs as draft.
From spec to preview
A timeline is calmer than “the hyperscalers finally cooperated.”
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Publish an open spec, then onboard CSPs
At the re:Invent 2025 preview AWS published an open API spec and said any provider that meets the bar can join. Customers kept asking when Azure would appear.
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31 August fills in Azure
Public preview is live in four AWS Regions. Create from the AWS console, CLI, or API and the Azure portal. Microsoft describes an extension toward Azure Private Link for an end-to-end private path.
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Next is regions and bandwidth, not instant worldwide GA
Both say they will widen regions and bandwidth options from feedback. Reading the preview as every Azure region overstates coverage.
Do not flatten maturity into one headline
| Peer cloud | AWS status (2026-08-31) | Still missing |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Azure | Public preview | Four AWS Regions only; SLA and price follow docs |
| Google Cloud | GA | AWS marks GA |
| Oracle Cloud Infrastructure | GA | AWS marks GA |
Why enterprise architects care
AWS lists mergers that leave apps on two clouds, ISVs that must follow customers, and rules that require more than one provider. The old stack was complex interconnects, third-party circuits, or the public internet. Network Synthetic Monitor is described as included, to triangulate packet loss.
Policy is a separate tab: import duties in chip tariff Phase 2, remote GPU rental in the Commerce remote-access rule. A short architecture huddle does not need a full meeting suite: in figmeet a room ID is enough for voice plus a board; see the guide and features.
# Public markers (vendor blogs)
2025-12 re:Invent: Interconnect–multicloud preview + open spec
2026-08-31 Azure public preview (AWS + Microsoft blogs)
Preview AWS Regions: us-east-1, us-west-1, ap-southeast-2, eu-central-1
Also on the spec: Google Cloud GA, OCI GAKennedy’s line compresses to this: customers said stitching AWS and Azure was clunky; both sides put MACsec, four nines, and on-demand scale on the same bar.
- AWS Interconnect – multicloud
- AWS’s on-demand private cloud-to-cloud product, previewed at re:Invent 2025 with an open interoperability spec.
- Azure Multicloud Interconnect
- Microsoft’s product name. Preview with AWS as of 31 August 2026; Microsoft highlights a path toward Azure Private Link.
- MACsec
- Link-layer encryption. AWS says it runs between edge routers by default as a non-negotiable join requirement.
Questions worth checking
Is Azure interconnect generally available worldwide?
No. 31 August is public preview in four AWS Regions. Google Cloud and OCI are the ones AWS already marks GA.
Is this the same story as chip export controls?
No. This is a networking product between clouds. Export rules cover chips and remote compute rental. They can move in parallel; do not put them in the same purchase-order cell.
Are four nines a signed SLA?
That figure is Kennedy’s design target in the launch blog. Preview terms follow each cloud’s console legal text and preview disclaimers.
Do we still pull our own dark fiber?
The pitch is no customer-managed physical plant and no waiting on circuit builds. Coverage is still bounded by the preview region list.