May 31, 2022 4 min read

Microsoft Build 2022 Recap: Key Azure and AI Announcements

Microsoft Build 2022 delivered exciting announcements across Azure, developer tools, and AI. Here is a comprehensive recap of the most impactful updates for cloud developers.

Developer Productivity

Microsoft Dev Box

Cloud-based developer workstations with instant provisioning:

Pre-configured development environments
Self-service portal for developers
Cost management with auto-shutdown
Azure AD integration

Azure Deployment Environments

Infrastructure as code for development teams:

Templated environment provisioning
Self-service capabilities
Budget controls
CI/CD integration

GitHub Codespaces Integration

Enhanced cloud development experience:

Faster prebuild times
Better Azure service integration
Improved debugging support
Cost optimization options

Container and Kubernetes

Azure Container Apps GA

Serverless containers reached general availability:

KEDA-based autoscaling
Dapr integration
Traffic splitting
Managed HTTPS

Dapr 1.7

New features for distributed applications:

Resiliency policies
Dead letter queues
Configuration API
Distributed locks

Serverless and Functions

Azure Functions Updates

Node.js 18 support
New v4 programming model
Improved cold start times
Better monitoring integration

Azure Static Web Apps

Enterprise edge support
Stable APIs
Enhanced authentication
Split environments

.NET and Development

.NET 7 Preview

Generic math interfaces
Required members
Native AOT compilation
Improved minimal APIs
Rate limiting middleware

.NET MAUI

Cross-platform UI framework approaching release:

Single project structure
Native performance
Hot reload support
MVVM Community Toolkit

Microsoft 365 Platform

Teams Development

New meeting extensions
Live Share SDK
Enhanced messaging
Adaptive Cards improvements

Microsoft Graph

Expanded API coverage
Better batch operations
Change notifications
New SDKs

Power Platform

Custom Connectors

Improved authentication options
Policy templates
Better error handling
OAuth 2.0 enhancements

Dataverse Updates

Virtual tables
Elastic tables for high volume
Business events
Custom APIs

Data and Analytics

Azure Synapse

Enhanced Synapse Link
Data Explorer integration
Improved Spark pools
Serverless SQL improvements

Log Analytics

Better Synapse integration
New query capabilities
Export to Data Lake
Cost optimization

Space and Innovation

Azure Orbital

Ground station as a service
Satellite communication management
Data processing pipelines
Partner integrations

Azure Quantum

New hardware providers
Q# improvements
Better simulators
Resource estimation

AI and Machine Learning

Azure OpenAI Service Preview

Access to GPT-3 and Codex models:

import openai

openai.api_type = "azure"
openai.api_base = "https://your-resource.openai.azure.com/"
openai.api_key = "your-key"

response = openai.Completion.create(
    engine="text-davinci-002",
    prompt="Explain quantum computing in simple terms:",
    max_tokens=200
)

print(response.choices[0].text)

Azure Machine Learning Updates

Responsible AI dashboard
Managed endpoints improvements
AutoML enhancements
MLflow integration

Security and Identity

Azure AD Updates

Passwordless authentication expansion
Conditional access improvements
Identity governance features
B2C enhancements

Microsoft Defender

Cloud security posture
Threat protection
DevSecOps integration
Container security

Key Themes

Developer Experience: Focus on productivity with Dev Box and Codespaces
Cloud-Native: Container Apps and Dapr for modern architectures
Low-Code/Pro-Code: Power Platform and custom development together
AI Integration: OpenAI partnership bringing advanced AI to Azure
Sustainability: Green software and energy optimization

What This Means for Developers

Build 2022 signals Microsoft’s commitment to:

Making cloud development more accessible
Providing enterprise-grade low-code options
Advancing AI capabilities for all developers
Supporting multi-cloud and hybrid scenarios

Getting Started

Try the new features:

# Install Azure CLI
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

# Install Dev Box CLI
az extension add --name devcenter

# Try Container Apps
az containerapp up \
    --name my-app \
    --image mcr.microsoft.com/azuredocs/containerapps-helloworld \
    --ingress external

Summary

Microsoft Build 2022 delivered:

Cloud-based developer workstations
Serverless container platform GA
.NET 7 and MAUI advances
Power Platform enhancements
Space and quantum computing
AI and OpenAI integration

An exciting time for Azure and Microsoft developers.

References: