Build 2025: Microsoft Unveils Windows AI Foundry, A New Platform for AI Development on Windows
A unified platform to streamline access to AI models, tools, and deployment workflows for developers building on Windows.
Key Takeaways:
- Microsoft introduces Windows AI Foundry, a new platform to streamline AI development on Windows.
- The platform unifies access to multiple AI model catalogs and supports the full AI development lifecycle.
- It offers ready-to-use AI tools and advanced features to simplify building and deploying AI solutions locally.
Microsoft has announced a slew of updates to support local AI development on Windows, including the launch of Windows AI Foundry. This new platform, built on the Windows Copilot Runtime, provides developers with a seamless, unified environment to create, customize, and deploy AI solutions on Windows.
Microsoft received feedback that many developers want ready-made AI tools that can perform specific tasks without needing to build or train models from scratch. Developers are also looking for a simpler way to discover, test, and use open-source AI models.
How does Windows AI Foundry support the entire AI development lifecycle?
To meet these needs, Windows AI Foundry simplifies access to AI models by integrating multiple model catalogs into a single platform. It supports the entire AI development lifecycle, including model selection, optimization, fine-tuning, and deployment. The platform connects with various model sources, including Foundry Local, Ollama, and NVIDIA NIMs (NVIDIA Inference Microservices), which makes it easier for developers to build and deploy AI solutions efficiently.
“Windows AI Foundry offers a host of capabilities for developers, meeting them where they
are on their AI journey. It offers ready-to-use APIs powered by in-built models, tools to customize Windows in-built models, and a high-performance inference runtime to help developers bring their own models and deploy them across silicon. With Foundry Local integration in Windows AI Foundry, developers also get access to a rich catalog of open-source models,” explained Pavan Davuluri, Corporate Vice President, Windows + Devices.
Windows AI Foundry provides access to ready-to-use open-source models
Windows AI Foundry includes Windows ML, which is a built-in runtime that supports deploying custom models across a wide range of hardware, including CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs from popular silicon partners. The platform also integrates model catalogs (like Foundry Local, Ollama, and NVIDIA NIMs) that give developers easy access to open-source models they can test and deploy locally.
Additionally, Windows AI Foundry offers ready-to-use AI APIs for tasks such as intelligence, image recognition, and object erase. Microsoft has also announced advanced features like LoRA-based fine-tuning and APIs for semantic search and Knowledge retrieval that enable more intelligent and personalized app experiences.
Windows AI Foundry is available for developers to get started today. If you’re interested, we invite you to check out the Windows Developer Blog for more details.
Rabia has a master's degree in Software Engineering and she has years of experience writing professionally about Microsoft products and other technologies. Rabia has also written for OnMSFT.com as well as Windows Report. She is always up to date on t...
