Microsoft Build 2026 kicked off with a series of major announcements spanning cloud computing, developer tools, and AI integration. Here are the seven biggest reveals:
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Azure AI Platform Updates – Microsoft unveiled new capabilities for its Azure AI services, including enhanced natural language processing and computer vision tools. The updates aim to simplify AI model deployment for enterprise developers.
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Visual Studio 2026 Preview – The latest version of Visual Studio introduces improved collaboration features, real-time code analysis, and deeper integration with GitHub Copilot. Developers can now generate entire functions via natural language prompts.
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Windows 12 Developer Mode – A special developer-focused mode for Windows 12 was announced, offering a streamlined environment for coding and debugging with direct access to Linux subsystems and container tools.
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Cloud-Native .NET 9 – Microsoft showcased .NET 9 with performance enhancements for cloud-native applications, including support for WebAssembly and improved AOT compilation.
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Azure Quantum Advances – Microsoft reported progress toward its topological qubit milestones, announcing a new hybrid quantum-classical platform available in preview for select partners.
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Security Copilot Expansion – The Security Copilot tool, which uses AI to assist with threat detection and incident response, is now generally available. New features include automated playbook generation and integration with third-party security information and event management (SIEM) systems.
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Open Source Contributions – Microsoft committed to open-sourcing several internal tools, including a new code analysis framework and a performance profiler for Kubernetes.
The conference continues through the week with over 200 breakout sessions and hands-on labs.