Azure Updates: Generative AI; Stack HCI; Cost Management; API Center

Microsoft CVP Jessica Hawk profiled some of the latest developments in Data and AI. Microsoft sees “innovation across the value chain” with generative AI, particularly in the form of vector similarity searches and MLOps. According to Hawk, many developers that previously saw AI and ML as the purview of data scientists are now trying out their own AI development projects. In a bid to support both business and technical users, Microsoft has made available resources like Career Essentials in Generative AI, Building a Foundation for AI Success: A Leader’s Guide, or a guide to building AI plugins with Semantic Kernel. Hawk touted the Whisper model, open-source vision models, Cognitive Search, and OpenAI Service.

Microsoft CVP Douglas Phillips explored the ways that Microsoft is working to build its edge capabilities with partners, in particular the co-development of the Dell APEX Cloud Platform. As part of these initiatives, Microsoft launched Premier Solutions for Azure Stack HCI, offering end-to-end deployment workflows, continuous testing, and automated full stack updates. He wrote:

In the coming months, we plan to grow the portfolio of Premier Solutions with an expanded selection of innovative edge platforms from Lenovo. It’s one of the many ways we keep building and transforming with our partners to provide customers with solutions that can better solve their unique challenges.

Principal product manager Sameer Doultani discussed the latest developments in Cost Management since August. A new exports functionality allows customers to use storage accounts behind a firewall with either Azure portal or the Exports API. Service Fabric added savings plan pricing. Pricing changes were introduced for VMs, Defender, Data Manager for Energy, Graph Data Connect and other services.

Microsoft launched a new service in an ungated public preview. Azure API Center is a part of the API Management platform. Users will be able to create an API Center service, register new APIs, delete or edit API versions, and manage custom metadata schema.