Microsoft Build 2024 kicked off with a three-day developer conference, starting with a livestream and an in-person keynote led by CEO Satya Nadella. The conference is expected to provide in-depth sessions for developers to familiarize themselves with new Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 features, with a focus on AI announcements and sessions related to newly announced AI features like Recall.
Microsoft announced new Arm-powered "Copilot Plus PCs", including a new Surface Laptop and tablet, equipped with an emulation layer called Prism for seamless compatibility with x86 apps on Windows. The company also highlighted the need for developer support for successful transition, similar to Apple's transition to its M-series chips.
Key announcements include:
- File Explorer enhancements with version control and 7z compression
- Windows Copilot Runtime to attract AI developers
- Copilot AI agents that act like virtual employees to automate tasks
- Windows Volumetric Apps on Meta Quest, extending Windows apps into 3D space
- Partnership with Khan Academy for AI-powered tutoring tools
- GPT-4o's cost and speed efficiencies
- Windows Copilot Runtime for developers to build AI into their Windows apps
- Team Copilot feature for managing meeting agendas, notes, and tasks in Microsoft Planner
- GitHub Copilot extensions for the service's 1.8 million paid users
- Azure OpenAI Service now offering OpenAI’s latest GPT-4o model for businesses
- Arm-based Cobalt CPU preview for businesses on Azure virtual machines
- Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows for Windows on Arm experiments
- Fluid Framework 2.0 for collaborative work in Microsoft’s Loop workspaces
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the new AI era, positioning this wave of AI as the answer to Microsoft's dreams of computers understanding humans and helping them reason, plan, and act more effectively on information.
