Microsoft Build 2026: seven MAI models, quantum Majorana 2 and agentic tools
At Build 2026 in San Francisco, Microsoft put the spotlight on agentic systems, its own MAI models and a new generation of quantum processor.
- Microsoft opened Build 2026 in San Francisco on June 2, with chief executive Satya Nadella as keynote speaker.
- The company announced seven new MAI models, its own in-house AI models.
- It unveiled a new generation of quantum processor, Majorana 2, with more stable qubits.
- New hardware Surface Axion and a new GitHub Copilot app for agentic development also arrived.
So what is Microsoft really selling to developers this year? Not just a chatbot you type questions into, but programs that do the work themselves while you watch from the side. That was the message from the opening of the Build 2026 conference.
Microsoft opened its annual developer conference in San Francisco on June 2, with chief executive Satya Nadella delivering the keynote. The event runs at Fort Mason over two days, June 2 and 3. The thread that ran through the whole first day is called agentic systems, meaning AI programs that carry out tasks on their own rather than just replying to messages.
What are these seven MAI models and why do they matter?
The biggest announcement concerns seven new MAI models, which are Microsoft’s own AI models. Until now the company leaned heavily on outside technology, so a home-grown family of models is a sign that it wants more control over what powers its tools.
Alongside the models, Microsoft showed several products that put them to work:
- GitHub Copilot got a new app aimed at agentic development, where the tool itself carries out steps in your code.
- Microsoft Scout, a personal agent that takes on tasks for the user.
- Project Solara, a platform announced at the conference.
- Foundry IQ and Work IQ, two business tools for companies.
For the developer reading this, it boils down to one practical thing. Instead of walking through every step by hand, you can hand part of the job to the tool and focus on checking the result. Whether this will actually work reliably is something we will only see once these tools leave the stage and land on real projects.
Quantum Majorana 2 and new hardware for developers
Microsoft also unveiled a new generation of quantum processor named Majorana 2, which the company says brings more stable qubits. Qubits are the basic units of quantum computing, and their stability has been the main obstacle for years, so any progress here is worth noting.
On the side of hardware you can hold in your hands, there were two new items. The first is Surface Axion, which Microsoft describes as the first Windows AI development computer. The second is the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a machine for developers.
Build is our developer conference, the place where we show the tools you use to build the next generation of apps.
The conference continues on June 3, so more detail is expected on how these models and tools will actually work together. For now we have announcements and names, and the real picture will come from the first independent tests.
Would you let an AI agent change your code on its own, or would you still want to check every step by hand?
