Microsoft teases new era of AI-driven devices at annual developer conference

Microsoft on Tuesday announced a sweeping slate of AI initiatives, from autonomous workplace assistants and gadgets to Nvidia-powered PCs and a new in-house reasoning model, in a push to move beyond apps and remake computing around AI.

At its ‌annual software developer conference, Microsoft Build in San Francisco, executives showcased a broader shift in company strategy, as it pushes to replace the traditional model of navigating software with one in which AI agents carry out complex tasks autonomously.

AI-powered devices and PCs

Microsoft showcased the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, an AI-focused PC equipped with Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, capable of running an AI model with 120 billion parameters – a rough measure of a model's complexity – that most PCs would not ‌be able to load. CEO Satya Nadella described it as a "dream machine," highlighting the company's commitment to bringing advanced AI capabilities directly to desktops and laptops.

Microsoft also said it was developing tools to help Windows run OpenClaw, open-source software that can direct groups of AI agents to carry out everyday tasks for users.

The goal is to make OpenClaw safe for businesses to use on computers with sensitive corporate data.

The company also introduced Project Solara, a family of prototypes that includes devices the size of a smart speaker or keycard badge, based on chips from Qualcomm and MediaTek.

These devices have screens and microphones, but instead of running a traditional operating system and apps like a smartphone, they will host AI agents that talk to cloud-computing systems to carry out specific tasks, such as documenting a medical visit with a nurse.

New AI models and agents

For software, Microsoft introduced Scout, a new AI agent within its Copilot software that can carry out tasks such as gathering emails or messages that require decisions by the user to move forward.

The company also unveiled MAI Thinking-1, its first reasoning model, which is said to match the performance of Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6.

One effort distinguishing Microsoft AI's work is its focus on medical diagnostics. Microsoft announced a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic to build AI systems that combine reasoning models with clinical expertise, aiming to improve patient outcomes with AI that acts as a team member and gets faster and better diagnoses.

Quantum computing breakthroughs

In quantum computing, Microsoft unveiled Majorana 2, a redesigned chip developed using AI tools, saying it now believes ‌it will have commercially useful quantum machines by 2029 – the same year as rival IBM.

Unlike most quantum chips, which rely on aluminum superconducting wires, Majorana 2 uses lead-based materials, achieving a 1,000-fold improvement in some aspects.

Despite the technical advances, the approach remains under scrutiny. Microsoft's design relies on quasiparticles known as Majoranas, which had not been proven to exist until Microsoft claimed to have observed them. Critics have called for more reproducible data, while the company said that it has been shared extensively in confidential discussions with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is evaluating the feasibility of several different types of quantum systems.