Microsoft pushes agent-first AI and new hardware at Build 2026
Anyone building on Windows just got Microsoft's $MSFT new direction. At Build 2026 the company unveiled the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box with an Nvidia $NVDA chip and Project Solara, an agent-first platform with two concept devices. Theme: AI agents running natively on Windows.
Microsoft $MSFT has used its Build 2026 developer conference to lay out an agent-first vision for Windows, and developers who build on the platform are the direct audience. The event opened June 2 in San Francisco, with chief executive Satya Nadella delivering the keynote. According to reporting from the Associated Press, Engadget and Notebookcheck, the company showcased new hardware including the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a development machine running an Nvidia $NVDA chip. It also introduced Project Solara, described as a platform for agent-first systems, shown alongside two concept devices. The broader theme is autonomous AI agents that run natively on Windows, drawing on on-device neural processing units as well as cloud resources. Microsoft has made Windows local AI a dedicated track at the conference and is giving developers APIs and tooling tied to its Copilot Runtime stack. The framing positions Windows as a platform for building and running AI agents directly on the device, rather than treating AI purely as a cloud service. Build runs through June 4, with further sessions on developer tools, cloud and data, models and responsible AI.