Everything we learned from the Microsoft Build 2026 keynote

Microsoft is more than willing to help you release AI agents, creating its own version of OpenClaw – and a new OS based on Android rather than Windows.

CEO Satya Nadella doubled down on AI agents and tools during his keynote speech at the company’s annual Microsoft Build conference for developers on Tuesday. That includes a first look at Project Soltera, an Android-based software platform that Microsoft calls “a chip-to-cloud platform designed for an open, multi-agent world that extends the way agents are built, used and experienced.”

You can watch Microsoft Build 2026 for yourself, or we can provide you with highlights.

MAI family of models

Nadella unveiled Microsoft’s first AI model for thinking, the first in a new line of MAI models. This is a technology giant that is trying to reduce its reliance on models from its long-time partner OpenAI. In fact, this Build has been described by some observers as a day of independence for Microsoft AI.

MAI-Thinking-1 is a medium-sized, 35-billion-parameter model with a content window of 128,000, and Microsoft was willing to emphasize its low token cost compared to similar models. “MAI-Thinking-1 is designed to be good at complex multi-step instructions, long-term contextual thinking, and code generation,” said Kyle Daigle, Microsoft Developer CMO and COO of GitHub, in a virtual press conference before the keynote.

Other models include:

The new MAI models will be available in Microsoft Foundry and various other Microsoft products, such as PowerPoint and OneDrive.

Project Soltera

Project Soltera is an Android based OS for running multiple agents in a secure environment.

What will that mean in practice? Nadella unveiled two concept devices — a wearable badge device using Qualcomm silicon that helps users stay connected to agents when they’re away from laptops, and a “desktop device” for managing agents that will help you “think, plan, and get things done without distraction.”

That’s an optimistic long-term goal, as Microsoft’s current AI chatbot, Copilot, was intended for entertainment purposes only, until recently.

Autopilots and Microsoft Scout

We found a laundry list of items led by Microsoft Scout, the company’s agent built on top of the popular OpenClaw. It’s meant to be a new “always-on” AI assistant connected to Microsoft’s suite of apps like Outlook and Groups. Think of Copilot, but a more powerful version that can work in all applications.

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The company said Microsoft Scout will be the first of a new breed of customizable AI agents from Microsoft called Autopilots.

At Microsoft Build, the company clearly wants to position its tools as a safer way for companies to use AI agents. OpenClaw, for example, has notorious cybersecurity issues.

“Agents can perform multi-step workflows locally while working within operating system-enforced boundaries rather than unmanaged user sessions,” said Kyle Daigle, Microsoft Developer CMO, at a press conference prior to the keynote. “This reduces the risk when agents execute code, access files, or communicate with networks on the device.”

Nvidia and Microsoft Surface Ultra

When Nadella left OpenAI, he embraced Nvidia – whose boss Jensen Huang appeared, presumably, to help launch the Microsoft Surface Ultra. The new AI laptop is aimed at developers, designed for agents, and powered by Nvidia RTX Spark, a new PC chip. Nadella also teased an upcoming quantum chip, Majorana 2, with the goal of making a working quantum computer by 2029.

“This has never been about technology for technology’s sake,” Nadella said.

As Nadella spoke, President Trump signed a new executive order seeking to regulate AI models. It was the latest sign of a changing vibe in the AI ​​world, coming hot on the heels of a growing backlash against indiscriminate “tokenmaxxing” AI, and a hot hunt for any ROI on AI.