Share via

Clarification Needed: Is GPT-OSS Model deployed as serverless in Azure cloud Inference Supported in Azure UAE North Region?

Jagdish Galipelli 20 Reputation points
2025-10-15T11:10:35.5033333+00:00

Clarification Needed: Is GPT-OSS Model deployed as serverless in Azure cloud Inference Supported in Azure UAE North Region? Is it inference within the UAE,

ensuring that prompt and response data do not leave the country? We're exploring compliant alternatives and would appreciate guidance on any models or configurations that meet strict data residency requirements.

Appreciate your continued support and insights.

Azure AI Content Safety
Azure AI Content Safety
An Azure service that enables users to identify content that is potentially offensive, risky, or otherwise undesirable. Previously known as Azure Content Moderator.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
  1. Sridhar M 2,525 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-15T12:02:28.9266667+00:00

    Hi Jagdish Galipelli,

    GPT-OSS models (e.g., gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b) can be deployed as serverless API deployments via Azure AI Foundry or on Azure Container Apps with serverless GPUs. These options allow you to consume the model without managing infrastructure, with autoscaling and pay-per-use pricing.

    Currently, Azure OpenAI and GPT-OSS models can be provisioned in UAE North, but inference is not executed locally in that region. Instead, the actual processing is routed to other supported regions (e.g., West Europe or France Central). This means prompt and response data may leave the UAE, which is critical for compliance-sensitive workloads.

    For GPT-OSS and Azure OpenAI services in UAE North, Microsoft does not guarantee that inference data remains within UAE unless the region has full model execution capability. While data at rest for the resource is stored in-region, processing may occur outside UAE

    compliant alternatives for strict data residency:

    If your requirement is “prompt and response data never leaves UAE”, you have two main options:

    • Azure Local / Azure Arc-enabled AI Deploy GPT-OSS models on Azure Local or Foundry Local infrastructure. This allows you to run inference entirely on-premises or in a sovereign cloud setup, ensuring full control over data residency.
    • Managed Compute in UAE Region (when available) GPT-OSS supports Managed Compute deployments, where you bring your own Azure GPU VMs in a specific region. If UAE North has GPU SKUs available, you can deploy GPT-OSS there for local inference. This is the recommended approach for data sovereignty.
    • Microsoft has announced in-country processing for Microsoft 365 Copilot in UAE starting early 2026, signaling broader investments in sovereign AI infrastructure. Similar capabilities for Azure AI inference may follow, but no public timeline exists yet for GPT-OSS local inference in UAE North.

    References:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/openai/concepts/use-your-data?wt.mc_id=knowledgesearch_inproduct_azure-cxp-community-insider&tabs=ai-search%2Ccopilot#regional-availability-and-model-support

    https://supportabilityhub.microsoft.com/solutions/apollosolutions/65e4479d-09ca-d2b0-a863-f8fa7473ae85/814a2d44-9d11-47f2-b98a-4f1cf589f969

    https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/global-infrastructure/geographies/

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center/privacy/data-location

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/openai/concepts/provisioned-throughput?tabs=global-ptum

    If you feel that your quires have been resolved, please accept the answer by clicking the "Upvote" and "Accept Answer" on the post.

    Thank you!

    2 people found this answer helpful.

1 additional answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Sina Salam 26,661 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-10-15T13:55:07.3533333+00:00

    Hello Jagdish Galipelli,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

    Regarding your question:

    Is GPT-OSS Model deployed as serverless in Azure cloud Inference Supported in Azure UAE North Region?

    And if prompt and response data must never leave UAE, What you need to do are the followings:

    Option1: Deploy GPT-OSS on Azure Arc-enabled infrastructure or Foundry Local. This ensures on-premises or sovereign cloud inference, keeping all data within UAE. Benefits are not limited to:

    • Full control over data residency.
    • No data leaves the country.
    • Ideal for regulated industries.

    Check this link for more details - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/openais-open%E2%80%91source-model-gpt%E2%80%91oss-on-azure-ai-foundry-and-windows-ai-foundry/

    Option2: Deploy GPT-OSS using your own GPU VMs in UAE North. This requires confirmation of GPU SKU availability (e.g., H100, A100). If available, inference can be executed locally.

    For Azure GPU VM availability check this link - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1395447/gpus-availability-for-virtual-machines

    Option3: Microsoft 365 Copilot will support in-country processing in UAE by early 2026. If you can wait, however, this signals future support for GPT-OSS local inference, but no timeline is confirmed.

    Follow this link on Microsoft 365 Copilot UAE Sovereign AI Announcement - https://www.zawya.com/en/business/technology-and-telecom/microsoft-announces-in-country-data-processing-for-microsoft-365-copilot-in-uae-alf6zzh7

    I hope this is helpful! Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or clarifications.

    Please don't forget to close up the thread here by upvoting and accept it as an answer if it is helpful.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.