Build 2026 Foundry agents: what Azure teams can ship now
Microsoft Build 2026 turned Foundry into a full production-agent stack: Foundry IQ for unified retrieval, Toolboxes for managed tool access, agent memory, Voice Live and the experimental Scout Autopilot. Foundry IQ knowledge bases and Voice Live are generally available now, Toolboxes and memory sit in public preview, and Scout remains experimental, which sets the build, pilot and watch lanes for an Azure-first EU team.
Cost-Optimizing Azure OpenAI: PTUs, Batch, Caching in 2026
A concrete playbook for reducing Azure OpenAI bills in 2026. Break-even math for Provisioned Throughput Units, prompt-cache economics, the Batch API 50 percent discount, Foundry IQ for retrieval, tiered model routing, and the telemetry that keeps the wins honest.
Foundry IQ: The Knowledge Layer for Agents - Microsoft Ignite 2025
Agents need context. Discover Foundry IQ—the knowledge layer connecting AI agents to enterprise data with multi-source RAG orchestration, retrieval steering, dynamic security controls, and agentic RAG delivering 36% higher accuracy than traditional search.
Building Knowledge-Powered Agents with Azure AI Search: RAG, Hybrid Search, and Agentic Retrieval - Microsoft Ignite 2025
Microsoft Ignite BRK193: Build agents with Azure AI Search knowledge features. Connect to SharePoint, web, blob. Hybrid search (keyword+vector+semantic), agentic retrieval with query planning, reasoning effort modes, Foundry IQ with MCP protocol. Code-focused implementation guide.
Microsoft Foundry: The Enterprise Agent Factory - Microsoft Ignite 2025
Ride the agent revolution with Microsoft Foundry, the enterprise-ready Agent Factory. Build, test, and launch intelligent agents with 1,400+ tools, 11,000+ models, multi-agent orchestration, and seamless Microsoft 365 integration—all with bulletproof security and governance.