InfoQ Homepage Microsoft Content on InfoQ
-
Azure Front Door Outage: How a Single Control-Plane Defect Exposed Architectural Fragility
A recent 9-hour Azure Front Door (AFD) outage was triggered by a faulty control-plane configuration change that bypassed safety checks due to a software defect, leading to a massive blast radius and affecting M365 and Entra ID via Identity Coupling, exposing a critical architectural anti-pattern in centralized edge fabrics.
-
Microsoft Adds Agent Mode and Office Agent to Office Applications
Microsoft has expanded its Microsoft 365 Copilot platform with Agent Mode and Office Agent. The update moves Copilot beyond a conversational assistant into a system capable of running continuous, multi-step workflows across Microsoft 365 applications.
-
AWS Launches Amazon Quick Suite, an Agentic AI Workspace
AWS has launched Amazon Quick Suite, a new AI-powered workspace designed to connect company data, automate workflows, and perform actions across business applications.
-
Microsoft Announces General Availability of AKS Automatic
Microsoft has released Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Automatic to general availability, introducing a fully-managed Kubernetes offering designed to eliminate operational overhead while maintaining the full power and flexibility of the platform.
-
Microsoft Tests Microfluidic Cooling for Next-Generation AI Chips
Microsoft has announced progress on a new chip cooling approach that could help address one of the biggest bottlenecks in scaling AI infrastructure: heat. The company’s researchers have successfully demonstrated in-chip microfluidic cooling, a system that channels liquid coolant directly into etched grooves on the back of silicon chips.
-
Microsoft Introduces Logic Apps as MCP Servers in Public Preview
Microsoft has unveiled a public preview of Azure Logic Apps (Standard) as Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, enabling developers to build and manage AI agents easily. This new capability promotes seamless integration with diverse systems, enhancing scalability and reusability while simplifying the development process for enterprise workflows.
-
Azure Service Groups Enter Public Preview Offering New Abstraction Layer for Resource Management
Microsoft has launched Azure Service Groups in public preview, a new feature designed to simplify resource management and administration. Acting as a flexible, tenant-level container, Service Groups allow users to organize Azure resources from anywhere within their tenant without affecting RBAC or policy inheritance.
-
OpenAI's GPT-5 Now Generally Available on Microsoft Azure AI Foundry
Microsoft and OpenAI launched GPT-5 on the Azure AI Foundry, revolutionizing enterprise AI with its advanced reasoning and task-specific model orchestration. This suite enhances applications like Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot, enabling seamless interactions and high-quality outputs tailored for real-world scenarios. GPT-5 empowers organizations to drive AI transformation efficiently.
-
Microsoft Launches Azure App Testing: a Unified Hub for Load and End-to-End Testing
Introducing Azure App Testing: a unified hub combining Azure Load Testing and Microsoft Playwright for streamlined, efficient application testing. With AI-powered tools for accelerated performance insights and seamless scaling, users can simulate real-world traffic across multiple regions. Optimize your testing experience and ensure top-notch app performance with Azure's innovative solutions.
-
Azure Event Hubs Geo-Replication Reaches General Availability
Microsoft has launched the General Availability of Geo-replication for Azure Event Hubs, enhancing data availability and redundancy. This feature allows seamless cross-region data replication, ensuring business continuity during outages. With synchronous and asynchronous options, users can choose their preferred data consistency, backed by increased health metrics for better monitoring.
-
Microsoft Adds Deep Research Capability in Azure AI Foundry Agent Service
Unlock the future of research with Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry Agent Service, featuring Deep Research—an innovative tool that empowers knowledge workers in complex fields. This advanced AI capability autonomously analyzes and synthesizes web data, automating rigorous research tasks while ensuring traceability and transparency. Sign up for the public preview today!
-
Azure AI Foundry Agent Service Gains Model Context Protocol Support in Preview
Microsoft's Azure AI Foundry Service now supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), revolutionizing AI agent integration. This streamlined approach eliminates cumbersome custom coding, allowing seamless connection to data sources and workflows. With enterprise-grade security, developers can effortlessly enhance agent capabilities, ushering in a new era of interoperability and efficiency in AI.
-
Microsoft Introduces Mu: a Lightweight On-Device Language Model for Windows Settings
Microsoft has introduced Mu, a new small-scale language model designed to run locally on Neural Processing Units (NPUs), starting with its deployment in the Windows Settings application for Copilot+ PCs. The model allows users to control system settings using natural language, aiming to reduce reliance on cloud-based processing.
-
Microsoft Enhances Developer Experience with DocumentDB VS Code Extension and Local Emulator
Microsoft has recently released an open‑source DocumentDB extension for Visual Studio Code alongside DocumentDB Local, a lightweight local emulator.
-
Microsoft Azure Enhances Observability with OpenTelemetry Support for Logic Apps and Functions
Microsoft has expanded OpenTelemetry support in Azure Logic Apps and Functions, enhancing observability and interoperability across platforms. This open-source framework enables seamless data generation and correlation, enhancing diagnostics beyond standard telemetry. With streamlined configuration and integration, Azure's offerings aim for standardized observability across cloud services.