Microsoft's Project Solara is an OS for the AI era
What's the story
At the Build 2026 conference, Microsoft announced "Project Solara," a new operating system (OS) specifically designed for gadgets that use artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The company describes it as "a new platform built from the ground up to power agent-driven experiences." Unlike many of its other products, Project Solara is based on Android and not Windows.
Tech showcase
Concept devices powered by Project Solara showcased
Microsoft showcased two concept devices powered by Project Solara at the Build conference: a desk concept and a badge concept. The desk device, similar to Amazon Echo Show, uses facial recognition for unlocking and provides access to AI agents. The badge device, a wearable like an office access badge, comes with a camera and fingerprint scanner that can activate an AI agent with just one press.
Industry collaboration
Reference designs for hardware manufacturers
Although Microsoft doesn't plan to launch these concept devices, they will serve as reference designs for other hardware manufacturers. The company hopes that firms like AccuWeather, Best Buy, CVS Healthcare, and Target will pilot the hardware. This shows a strong industry collaboration around Project Solara and its potential applications in various sectors.
OS design
Why Microsoft chose Android over Windows for Project Solara
Project Solara is designed for agent-first devices and is said to be "highly flexible," according to Microsoft Technical Fellow Steven Bathiche. The company chose a version of Android, the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform, over Windows for this project. The decision was made to ensure it can run on smaller, lower-power devices while still providing the management and security features that IT departments expect.