As AI continues transforming industries, Microsoft is expanding its global cloud infrastructure to meet the needs of app builders, software providers, and businesses of all sizes. During Microsoft Build 2024, the company unveiled the latest advancements in Azure tools and services for powering AI solutions.
Azure: The Premier Platform for AI Development
Microsoft emphasized Azure's essential role in developing and deploying AI-powered apps. Azure is designed to provide developers with unmatched safety, security, choice, speed, scale, flexibility, reliability, and efficiency—all while utilizing familiar tools. Drawing from their vast expertise in developing AI solutions such as Microsoft Copilot, Azure is empowering organizations to build and launch transformative AI experiences with the latest updates below:
- OpenAI’s latest flagship model, GPT-4o, is now generally available in Azure OpenAI Service
- Azure AI Studio, an essential part of the Copilot stack, is now generally available
- The Phi-3 family of AI SLMs has been expanded with new models
- Users can now create custom categories in Azure AI Content Safety
- Check out a preview of GitHub Copilot for Azure
- Introduction of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Automatic to take AI apps into production
For more information on these updates, refer to the Transformational AI experience blog post by Jessica Hawk, corporate vice president of data, AI, and digital applications, and product marketing.
Unleashing AI Innovation with Azure
Azure is at the forefront of AI technology. The latest advancements include tools and services tailored to empower AI solutions effectively. The platform features new initiatives that provide high performance and resilience for building intelligent AI-powered apps. It ensures outstanding efficiency in computing resources and offers advanced generative capabilities for AI applications.
- General availability of the ND MI300X VM series with AMD’s most powerful Instinct GPU
- Public preview of Azure Compute Fleet service
- Introduction of Azure Cobalt 100 Arm-based Virtual Machines
Check out the Azure Infrastructure blog post from Omar Khan, general manager of Azure product marketing, to discover more about these cutting-edge AI solutions.
Real-Time Insights with Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric introduces a simplified, AI-powered data analytics platform designed to future-proof the data estate. The platform is constantly evolving to smoothly introduce new features, letting users focus on making the most of their data rather than just managing it. The latest updates help uncover insights more effectively, keeping organizations updated with data and analytics trends.
- Introducing Real-Time Intelligence documentation on Microsoft Fabric
- New tools like Microsoft Fabric Workload Development kit for ISVs
- Combined Azure Fabric and Azure Databricks
- An expanded Snowflake partnership
Visit the Microsoft Fabric blog post to discover how these new AI-driven analytics can reveal real-time insights.
Continue the Azure AI Evolution On-Demand
It's truly thrilling to witness the range of opportunities for growth and innovation at Microsoft, aimed at enabling you and your customers to achieve more using Azure-powered AI.
For a comprehensive overview of all announcements and updates, head to the official Microsoft Build blog and Book of News or the partner summary blog. You can also catch up on Microsoft Build sessions and explore the session catalog for a wealth of content and learning opportunities on-demand.