H3 Max Prompt Lab

Updated 21 September 2026 · dual clock · Foundry is not OpenAI direct

Azure / Microsoft Foundry Sora-2 retires 15 October 2026 — not OpenAI’s 24 September clock

Cartoon raccoon packing film reels, cassette tapes, and cardboard archive boxes on a wooden desk under a wall calendar, ready to export Sora jobs before the Azure Foundry retirement date.

If your jobs hit Sora through Azure AI Foundry / Microsoft Foundry, OpenAI’s 24 September date is not your transport clock. Microsoft’s English model-retirement table lists Foundry sora-2 version 2025-12-08 to retire on 15 October 2026, with no replacement named. That extra window is still a sunset — export the library and remap prompts now.

Open the export checklist Open the prompt remap

Two products · two dates · same model family name

Dual clock: OpenAI direct vs Foundry 2025-12-08

The string sora-2 appears in both places. The shutdown is not shared. Pinning a dated snapshot on the OpenAI Videos API does not move you onto Foundry’s October date, and calling Foundry does not keep POST/GET /videos on api.openai.com alive past 24 September.

OpenAI dates from the Videos API deprecations table. Foundry dates from the English Microsoft Learn retirement schedule (Azure OpenAI / Foundry Models sold by Azure), checked 21 September 2026. Replacement “—” means the table published none.
Clock Surface / version What stops Listed date Replacement
OpenAI direct Videos API + every sora-2* alias / snapshot POST/GET /videos on the OpenAI API 24 Sep 2026 — hard stop (~3 days as of 21 Sep) —
Microsoft Foundry sora-2 version 2025-10-06 That Foundry model version (Preview) 15 Jul 2026 — already listed retired sora-2 (2025-12-08)
Microsoft Foundry sora-2 version 2025-12-08 That Foundry model version (Preview) 15 Oct 2026 — listed retirement (~24 days as of 21 Sep) —

Cite Microsoft Learn — trust the English table and your portal

Source: Microsoft Learn — Model retirement schedule (English, /en-us/). Under Foundry Models sold by Azure → Azure OpenAI, the table lists:

Some Learn locales can disagree or lag. Machine-translated pages have shown date-format and copy drift on other rows. Treat the English schedule plus the retirement date shown in your Foundry / Azure portal as authoritative. Re-check before you plan a cutover; Microsoft can move Preview dates.

What the extra weeks are — and are not

This site is independent and is not affiliated with Microsoft, Azure, Foundry, or OpenAI. Dates change — verify on Learn (EN) and in the portal you pay.

Still export. Still remap. Do not reprint the whole checklist here.

The extra Foundry days are for cutover, not for leaving assets on a retiring Preview model. Use the existing pages — this one does not duplicate their steps or camera blocks:

  1. Sora API sunset export checklist — official export UI, GET /videos inventory, caller grep, snapshot-pin warning, test one pipeline.
  2. Sora → Seedance / Kling / Veo prompt remap — camera-language blocks (dolly, orbit, cameo → refs, rain physics).
  3. Seedance vs Kling vs Veo cheat sheet — pick a grammar before you paste.
  4. MiniMax H3 as a Sora alternative · Wan 3.0 prompt guide
  5. Sora API cost vs Veo / Kling / Seedance — billing units (per-second, credits, tokens). Not a dollar ranking.
Jump to the five-step checklist Jump to remap blocks

What this page will not do

FAQ

Does OpenAI’s 24 September 2026 date apply if I only use Azure Foundry?

Not as the Foundry model-retirement date. Microsoft’s English table lists Foundry sora-2 2025-12-08 for 15 October 2026. If any job still calls the OpenAI Videos API directly, that job still hard-stops on 24 September.

Which Foundry version is 15 October?

Version 2025-12-08 (Preview). The older Foundry sora-2 2025-10-06 was listed to retire 15 July 2026 with replacement sora-2 (2025-12-08).

Did Microsoft name a replacement for 2025-12-08?

No. The Learn replacement column is —. Do not treat another chat or image model as a drop-in video successor.

Why might another language of Learn show a different date?

Localized Learn pages can lag or mistranslate. Trust the English retirement schedule and the date in your Azure / Foundry portal.

Where do I export and remap?

Export / caller inventory: Sora API sunset export checklist. Camera-language remaps: Sora → Seedance / Kling / Veo.

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