Microsoft Agent Framework, now in public preview, and new capabilities in Azure AI Foundry make it simpler for builders to construct, observe, and govern multi-agent techniques.
At this time we’re saying new capabilities in Azure AI Foundry that make it simpler for builders to construct, observe, and govern multi-agent techniques, whereas serving to organizations shut the belief hole in AI.
As agentic AI adoption accelerates—eight in ten enterprises now use some type of agent-based AI, in response to PwC1—the complexity of managing these techniques is growing. Builders face fragmented tooling, and organizations wrestle to make sure brokers behave responsibly. Our newest updates to Azure AI Foundry deal with these challenges head-on.
Introducing Microsoft Agent Framework (public preview)
The Microsoft Agent Framework, now in public preview, is the open-source SDK and runtime that simplifies the orchestration of multi-agent techniques. It converges AutoGen, a former Microsoft Analysis mission, and the enterprise-ready foundations of Semantic Kernel right into a unified, commercial-grade framework—bringing cutting-edge analysis to builders.
With Microsoft Agent Framework, builders can:
- Experiment domestically after which deploy to Azure AI Foundry with observability, sturdiness, and compliance inbuilt.
- Combine any API through OpenAPI, collaborate throughout runtimes with Agent2Agent (A2A), and hook up with instruments dynamically utilizing Mannequin Context Protocol (MCP).
- Use the most recent multi-agent patterns like Magentic One and orchestrate brokers into Workflows.
- Cut back context-switching throughout instruments and platforms.
- Construct multi-agent techniques connecting Azure AI Foundry, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and different agent platforms.
This framework is designed to assist builders keep in circulate. In line with an trade research2, 50% of builders lose greater than 10 hours per week attributable to inefficiencies like fragmented instruments, highlighting the necessity for options that cut back complexity and enhance the developer expertise.
One group utilizing Microsoft Agent Framework to scale back friction is KPMG. KPMG’s transformation started with KPMG Clara, its cloud-based sensible audit platform used on each KPMG audit worldwide.
KPMG Clara AI is tightly aligned with the next-generation, open-source Microsoft Agent Framework, constructed on the convergence of Semantic Kernel and AutoGen.
This implies KPMG Clara AI can join specialised brokers to enterprise information and instruments, whereas benefiting from built-in safeguards and an open, extensible developer ecosystem. The framework’s open-source connectors enable brokers in KPMG Clara AI to interoperate not solely with Azure AI Foundry, but in addition with exterior techniques and language fashions, making it potential to scale multi-agent collaboration throughout a world, regulated enterprise.
Foundry Agent Service and Microsoft Agent Framework join our brokers to information and one another, and the governance and observability in Azure AI Foundry present what KPMG corporations have to be profitable in a regulated trade.
— Sebastian Stöckle, International Head of Audit Innovation and AI at KPMG Worldwide
We invite builders to affix us in shaping the way forward for agentic AI by contributing code and suggestions to Microsoft Agent Framework.
Multi-agent workflows (personal preview)
Constructing on Microsoft Agent Framework, we’re extending these capabilities immediately into the cloud with multi-agent workflows in Foundry Agent Service. This new function permits builders to orchestrate subtle, multi-step enterprise processes utilizing a structured, stateful workflow layer.
With multi-agent workflows, groups can:
- Coordinate a number of brokers throughout long-running duties with persistent state and context sharing.
- Automate advanced enterprise situations similar to buyer onboarding, monetary transaction processing, and provide chain automation.
- Leverage built-in error dealing with, retries, and restoration to enhance reliability at scale.
Workflows could be authored and debugged visually via the VS Code Extension or Azure AI Foundry, then deployed, examined, and managed in Foundry alongside present options.
A number of clients are at present experimenting with this functionality, and we sit up for increasing to extra clients within the coming weeks.
Multi-agent observability throughout well-liked frameworks with OpenTelemetry contributions
We’re additionally saying enhancements to multi-agent observability, with contributions to OpenTelemetry that assist standardize tracing and telemetry for agentic techniques.
This offers groups deeper visibility into agent workflows, software name invocations, and collaboration—essential for debugging, optimization, and compliance. We made the above enhancements to OpenTelemetry in collaboration with Outshift, Cisco’s incubation engine.
With the above enhancements, Azure AI Foundry now supplies unified observability for brokers constructed with a number of frameworks, together with Microsoft Agent Framework and others like LangChain, LangGraph, and OpenAI Brokers SDK.
Voice Stay API in Azure AI Foundry now usually accessible
Mutli-agent workflows are more and more initiated via voice inputs and culminate in voice outputs. We’re excited to announce the normal availability of Voice Stay API, which empowers builders and enterprises to construct scalable, production-ready voice AI brokers. Voice Stay API is a unified, real-time speech-to-speech interface that integrates speech-to-text (STT), generative AI fashions, text-to-speech (TTS), avatar, and conversational enhancement options right into a single, low-latency pipeline.
Organizations similar to Capgemini, healow, Astra Tech, and Agora are leveraging Voice Stay API to construct customer support brokers, instructional tutors, HR assistants, and multilingual brokers. Voice Stay API is remodeling how builders construct voice AI brokers by offering an built-in, scalable, and environment friendly answer.
Accountable AI capabilities public preview
Constructing on developments in agent observability and framework integration, it’s equally essential to make sure that AI techniques function responsibly and securely—particularly as they turn into extra deeply embedded in essential enterprise workflows.
In line with McKinsey’s 2025 International AI Belief Survey3, the primary barrier to AI adoption is lack of governance and risk-management instruments. That’s why we’re placing the next accountable AI options in public preview within the coming weeks:
These capabilities are constructed into Azure AI Foundry, serving to organizations construct with confidence and adjust to inner and exterior requirements.
Buyer momentum
Azure AI Foundry options are serving to over 70,000 organizations worldwide—from digital natives to enterprise corporations—remodel AI innovation into sensible outcomes. For instance:
Commerzbank: Commerzbank is piloting Microsoft Agent Framework to energy avatar-driven buyer help, enabling extra pure, accessible, and compliant buyer interactions.
The brand new Microsoft Agent Framework simplifies coding, reduces efforts and totally helps MCP for agentic options. We’re actually trying ahead to the productive utilization of container-based Azure AI Foundry brokers, which considerably reduces workload in IT operations.
— Gerald Ertl, Managing Director/Head of Digital Banking Options, Commerzbank AG
Citrix: Citrix is exploring how they’ll use agentic AI inside digital desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments to enhance enterprise productiveness and effectivity.
Citrix has all the time embraced versatile methods of working because the chief in safe work. As we transfer right into a world the place agentic AI works side-by-side with us, we’re excited to allow that additionally inside workspaces that our clients already use on daily basis. Microsoft’s Agent Framework brings a contemporary, developer-first strategy to constructing brokers. With help for key APIs and languages, and native adoption of rising protocols for software calling and observability, it permits intuitive improvement of brokers on Azure AI Foundry with out compromising developer management. We’re desirous to leverage the framework to ship on our imaginative and prescient – enterprise-scale, production-ready AI brokers for our clients.
— George Tsolis, Distinguished Engineer, Citrix
TCS: Tata Consultancy Companies is actively constructing a multi-agent apply on the Microsoft Agent Framework, with a number of initiatives underway that showcase their strategic funding and technical depth, together with agentic options for finance, IT operations, and retail.
Adopting Microsoft Agent Framework isn’t just a technological development, however a daring step in direction of reimagining trade worth chains. By harnessing Agentic AI and Frontier fashions, we allow our groups to construct versatile, scalable, enterprise-grade options that remodel workflows and ship worth throughout platforms. True management is about empowering innovation, embracing change, and fostering an atmosphere the place agility and collaboration drive excellence.
— Girish Phadke, Head, Microsoft Azure Apply, TCS
Sitecore: Sitecore is growing an answer that permits entrepreneurs to work together seamlessly with the platform by automating duties throughout your complete content material provide chain—from creating and managing internet experiences to dealing with digital belongings—utilizing clever brokers.
By partnering with Microsoft to leverage its new Microsoft Agent Framework, Sitecore can deliver collectively the very best of each worlds: the flexibleness to energy totally non-deterministic agentic orchestrations and the reliability to run extra deterministic, repeatable brokers. On the identical time, we profit from Microsoft’s enterprise-grade observability and telemetry, guaranteeing that these orchestrations aren’t solely highly effective but in addition safe, measurable, and production-ready.
— Mo Cherif, VP of AI, Sitecore
Elastic: Elasticsearch helps a local connector to Microsoft Agent Framework, enabling builders to seamlessly combine enterprise information into clever brokers and workflows.
Elasticsearch is the context engineering platform and vector database of selection for organizations to retailer and search their most beneficial operational and enterprise information. With the brand new Microsoft Agent Framework connector, builders can now deliver essentially the most related organizational context immediately into clever brokers and multi-agent workflows. This makes it simpler than ever to construct production-ready AI options that mix the reasoning energy of brokers with the velocity and scale of Elasticsearch.
— Steve Kearns, Common Supervisor Search Options, Elastic
A trusted agent manufacturing unit for builders
Azure AI Foundry is greater than a platform—it’s a trusted agent manufacturing unit for builders and enterprises. Whether or not you’re a CIO seeking to scale AI responsibly, a safety architect targeted on governance, or a developer constructing the subsequent era of clever brokers, Azure AI Foundry supplies the instruments, frameworks, and belief you want.
Microsoft stands out within the AI panorama with its dedication to open requirements, interoperability, and accountable AI. The Microsoft Agent Framework, now in public preview, is a unified, enterprise-grade framework that integrates cutting-edge analysis and permits builders to seamlessly orchestrate multi-agent techniques with built-in observability, sturdiness, and compliance.
In contrast to different options, our framework helps integration with any API through OpenAPI, collaboration throughout runtimes with Agent2Agent (A2A), and dynamic software connections utilizing MCP. This ensures builders can cut back context-switching and keep in circulate, accelerating innovation.
The open-source nature of the framework invitations builders to contribute and form the way forward for agentic AI, making it a really collaborative and forward-thinking platform. With Microsoft, organizations can belief that their AI techniques will probably be highly effective, environment friendly, accountable, and safe, addressing the highest boundaries to AI adoption recognized in McKinsey’s 2025 International AI Belief Survey.
2 AI adoption is rising, however friction persists.
3 Insights on accountable AI from the International AI Belief Maturity Survey.
