diff --git a/azurelinuxagent/ga/update.py b/azurelinuxagent/ga/update.py
index cd758b972a..2b0975b05b 100644
--- a/azurelinuxagent/ga/update.py
+++ b/azurelinuxagent/ga/update.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import glob
 import json
 import os
+import platform
 import re
 import shutil
 import signal
@@ -462,6 +463,9 @@ def _get_vm_size(self, protocol):
 
         return self._vm_size
 
+    def _get_vm_arch(self):
+        return platform.machine()
+
     def _check_daemon_running(self, debug):
         # Check that the parent process (the agent's daemon) is still running
         if not debug and self._is_orphaned:
@@ -1265,13 +1269,13 @@ def _send_heartbeat_telemetry(self, protocol):
         if datetime.utcnow() >= (self._last_telemetry_heartbeat + UpdateHandler.TELEMETRY_HEARTBEAT_PERIOD):
             dropped_packets = self.osutil.get_firewall_dropped_packets(protocol.get_endpoint())
             auto_update_enabled = 1 if conf.get_autoupdate_enabled() else 0
-            # Include VMSize in the heartbeat message because the kusto table does not have 
-            # a separate column for it (or architecture).
-            vmsize = self._get_vm_size(protocol)
+            # Include vm architecture in the heartbeat message because the kusto table does not have
+            # a separate column for it.
+            vmarch = self._get_vm_arch()
 
             telemetry_msg = "{0};{1};{2};{3};{4};{5}".format(self._heartbeat_counter, self._heartbeat_id, dropped_packets,
                                                          self._heartbeat_update_goal_state_error_count,
-                                                         auto_update_enabled, vmsize)
+                                                         auto_update_enabled, vmarch)
             debug_log_msg = "[DEBUG HeartbeatCounter: {0};HeartbeatId: {1};DroppedPackets: {2};" \
                             "UpdateGSErrors: {3};AutoUpdate: {4}]".format(self._heartbeat_counter,
                                                                           self._heartbeat_id, dropped_packets,
diff --git a/tests/ga/test_update.py b/tests/ga/test_update.py
index 1b84d6f1c4..e5f15fbd07 100644
--- a/tests/ga/test_update.py
+++ b/tests/ga/test_update.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from threading import current_thread
-from azurelinuxagent.common.protocol.imds import ComputeInfo
 from tests.common.osutil.test_default import TestOSUtil
 import azurelinuxagent.common.osutil.default as osutil
 
@@ -2773,48 +2772,6 @@ def test_telemetry_heartbeat_creates_event(self, patch_add_event, patch_info, *_
             self.assertTrue(any(call_args[0] == "[HEARTBEAT] Agent {0} is running as the goal state agent {1}"
                             for call_args in patch_info.call_args), "The heartbeat was not written to the agent's log")
 
-    @patch("azurelinuxagent.ga.update.add_event")
-    @patch("azurelinuxagent.common.protocol.imds.ImdsClient")
-    def test_telemetry_heartbeat_retries_failed_vm_size_fetch(self, mock_imds_factory, patch_add_event, *_):
-
-        def validate_single_heartbeat_event_matches_vm_size(vm_size):
-            heartbeat_event_kwargs = [
-                kwargs for _, kwargs in patch_add_event.call_args_list
-                if kwargs.get('op', None) == WALAEventOperation.HeartBeat
-            ]
-
-            self.assertEqual(1, len(heartbeat_event_kwargs), "Expected exactly one HeartBeat event, got {0}"\
-                .format(heartbeat_event_kwargs))
-
-            telemetry_message = heartbeat_event_kwargs[0].get("message", "")
-            self.assertTrue(telemetry_message.endswith(vm_size),
-                "Expected HeartBeat message ('{0}') to end with the test vmSize value, {1}."\
-                .format(telemetry_message, vm_size))
-
-        with mock_wire_protocol(mockwiredata.DATA_FILE) as mock_protocol:
-            update_handler = get_update_handler()
-            update_handler.protocol_util.get_protocol = Mock(return_value=mock_protocol)
-
-            # Zero out the _vm_size parameter for test resiliency
-            update_handler._vm_size = None
-
-            mock_imds_client = mock_imds_factory.return_value = Mock()
-
-            # First force a vmSize retrieval failure
-            mock_imds_client.get_compute.side_effect = HttpError(msg="HTTP Test Failure")
-            update_handler._last_telemetry_heartbeat = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(hours=1)
-            update_handler._send_heartbeat_telemetry(mock_protocol)
-
-            validate_single_heartbeat_event_matches_vm_size("unknown")
-            patch_add_event.reset_mock()
-
-            # Now provide a vmSize
-            mock_imds_client.get_compute = lambda: ComputeInfo(vmSize="TestVmSizeValue")
-            update_handler._last_telemetry_heartbeat = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(hours=1)
-            update_handler._send_heartbeat_telemetry(mock_protocol)
-
-            validate_single_heartbeat_event_matches_vm_size("TestVmSizeValue")
-
 
 class AgentMemoryCheckTestCase(AgentTestCase):