Introducing Azure AI Foundry Labs: A hub for the latest AI research and experiments at Microsoft

By Dustin Ward

Today we’re launching Azure AI Foundry Labs, a hub for developers, startups, and enterprises to explore groundbreaking innovations from research at Microsoft. Foundry Labs unites cutting-edge research with real-world applications, to enable developers and creators across industries to discover new possibilities, solve complex problems, and share insights to shape the future of AI.  Explore Azure…

AI agents at work: The new frontier in business automation

By Dustin Ward

Microsoft’s AI agents are at the forefront of a significant transformation in modern business operations. These intelligent agents automate routine tasks, helping employees by freeing up valuable time to be more efficient, productive, and empowered to drive business—and industries are discovering their value. Across sectors such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, AI agents handle tasks…

Announcing the availability of the o3-mini reasoning model in Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service

By Dustin Ward

We are pleased to announce that OpenAI o3-mini is now available in Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. o3-mini adds significant cost efficiencies compared with o1-mini with enhanced reasoning, with new features like reasoning effort control and tools, while providing comparable or better responsiveness. o3-mini’s advanced capabilities, combined with its efficiency gains, make it a powerful tool…

DeepSeek R1 is now available on Azure AI Foundry and GitHub

By Dustin Ward

DeepSeek R1 is now available in the model catalog on Azure AI Foundry and GitHub, joining a diverse portfolio of over 1,800 models, including frontier, open-source, industry-specific, and task-based AI models. As part of Azure AI Foundry, DeepSeek R1 is accessible on a trusted, scalable, and enterprise-ready platform, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate advanced AI…

Introducing Leading the Shift, a new Microsoft Azure podcast

By Dustin Ward

The AI platform shift brings immense opportunity, but the road to success isn’t always easy or clear. That’s why we’ve asked customers, partners, Microsoft experts, and other leaders to share their journeys and insights in our new podcast, Leading the Shift. In each episode, we’ll explore how our guests are using data, AI, and cloud…

Coldplay evolves the fan experience with Microsoft AI

By Dustin Ward

Great music builds memories that span generations My first concert with my son was a Coldplay show in Vancouver a couple of years ago. I was completely captivated by the show, the music, the immersive experience, and the focus on sustainability—but mostly by watching my youngest experience a concert for the first time. It was…