Microsoft Build 2026: Key announcements

Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 2, its next-generation topological quantum chip. This new iteration introduces an advanced materials stack that delivers a staggering 1,000-fold leap in reliability compared to previous-generation qubits. Majorana 2 boasts a mean qubit lifetime of 20 seconds, with some instances lasting up to a full minute. Thanks to these breakthroughs, Microsoft has cut its original timeline in half and now expects to achieve a scalable quantum computer by 2029.

Mustafa Suleyman, the head of Microsoft AI, has announced seven new AI models across image, voice, and transcription. The line-up includes a new image generator that Suleyman says beats Google's Nano Banana. There's also MAI-Thinking-1, Microsoft's first text-based reasoning model. Suleyman has announced that Microsoft is working together with the Mayo Clinic for a new frontier model for health.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has unveiled 'Autopilots' inside the Copilot super app. Heavily reminiscent of OpenClaw, these advanced AI agents are tailor-made for enterprise environments, with 'Scout' debuting as the very first autopilot in the lineup.

Microsoft has showcased a native app for OpenClaw. Users will get "very granular" control of the files OpenClaw agents can access.

Microsoft has brought Microsoft Foundry, Fabric, and Microsoft 365 under its new 'IQ' branding umbrella to create a more integrated enterprise and productivity ecosystem.

Under Project Solara, Microsoft has introduced a new smart display desk concept capable of automatic user recognition and seamless AI agent coordination. The device functions as a PC companion, enabling users to access their Windows 365 cloud PC via a connected monitor. Additionally, Microsoft revealed a Qualcomm-powered digital ID badge to replace traditional plastic cards we are used to. The high-tech badge is equipped with a built-in camera, battery, microphones, biometric authentication, and a small display.

Project Solara centers on developing chips for agent-first hardware. A promotional video highlights several of these concepts in action, including a smart speaker with an integrated display, mobile devices, and intelligent ID cards. The preview Solara image also includes glasses, a webcam, a watch, headphones and earbuds, among other devices.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang joined the Build keynote from Taipei, discussing AI and infrastructure. According to Huang, Microsoft has deployed the world's largest and fastest fleet of Grace Hopper supercomputers.

Microsoft has also announced a new Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, powered by NVIDIA's Arm-based RTX Spark chips. It is custom-built for sustained performance and local AI workflows. Visually, the machine looks like an Xbox Series X console, featuring an aluminum chassis that acts as a functional heatsink. The Dev Box packs a massive 128GB of unified memory, allowing developers to run up to 120-billion-parameter AI models entirely locally.

Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Laptop Ultra, the company's most powerful laptop to date. It is powered by NVIDIA's new RTX Spark chip, which was announced during the Computex 2026 event on Monday.

Nadella has announced two new edge models that developers that can run locally on their own machines. These are called Aion 1.0 Instruct with 2x faster responses and Aion 1.0 Plan with local reasoning and tool calling for agentic apps.

Microsoft will also show off its Copilot "super app" at Build. The app combines Microsoft's various Copilot AI assistants into a single interface. However, it won't launch today as Microsoft is still working on it

This year, Build will put a bigger emphasis on local models running on Windows. This will let developers use local compute instead of expensive cloud models.

The conference will likely see the unveiling of new AI models in Windows, a new reasoning model from Microsoft AI, and a Copilot "super app."

In minutes from now, Microsoft's Build conference is set to kick off in San Francisco. The event will start at 10:00pm IST with a keynote from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. You can watch the event live on Microsoft's YouTube channel.