OpenAI Agents API: US-only residency, your Azure options
OpenAI's Agents API, in public beta since 10 September, packages the Codex harness as a managed runtime with no platform fee, but its documentation limits data residency to the United States and rules out zero data retention even with a self-hosted sandbox. A side-by-side with Claude Managed Agents and Foundry hosted agents, with Sweden Central retail rates, shows runtime cost is a rounding error and residency and identity decide the choice.
Agent Framework Harness GA: build or buy your agent loop
Microsoft's Agent Framework Harness and Foundry Hosted Agents reached general availability in early August 2026, wrapping models with function invocation, context compaction, planning, memory, tool approvals and OpenTelemetry in a runtime that runs locally, in containers, or consumption-billed on Foundry. A decision framework for Azure teams weighing the GA runtime against a hand-rolled agent loop, with cost levers and the Swedish compliance picture.
Running GPT-5.6 the enterprise way on Microsoft Foundry
GPT-5.6 (Sol, Terra, Luna) went GA in Microsoft Foundry on 9 July 2026, day-and-date with OpenAI, alongside a new Asia-Pacific Data Zone and a hosted agents runtime with VNet integration. A practical guide for Swedish and EU Azure teams: choosing between the three models, picking Global Standard versus EU Data Zone versus PTUs, worked cost math on the launch prices, and a two-week adoption checklist.