Microsoft Build 2025: AI Takes Center Stage at Annual Developer Conference

How to watch Microsoft's Build 2025 conference

Tom Warren is a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft's annual developer conference kicks off today in Seattle, Washington, during the same week Google hosts its own I/O developer event in Mountain View, California. Build will be focused on Microsoft's latest platform changes for developers, including new AI announcements that are bound to go head-to-head with Google's own news. Microsoft is streaming Build online free of charge and developers, students, and engineers will also be able to attend the in-person event at Seattle's conference center. I'm expecting Microsoft to focus largely on AI this year, with emphasis on its push for AI agents that Microsoft envisions working alongside humans as digital colleagues. We may also get some news on Microsoft's plans to host Elon Musk's Grok AI model. I revealed in my Notepad newsletter earlier this month that Microsoft is in discussions with xAI to host the Grok AI model on its Azure AI Foundry service, with a potential announcement at Build this week. Perhaps we'll also see OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appear at Build, just like he did last year. In Notepad earlier this year I revealed that OpenAI had been planning to launch its GPT-5 model in late May, but sources familiar with OpenAI's plans tell me that's less likely now due to service changes and recent delays affecting the launch of other models. Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are always keen to show that the partnership between the two companies remains strong -- amid media reports of tensions -- with the pair posing for a selfie earlier this month. Nadella will kick off all of Microsoft's AI announcements at 9AM PT / 12PM ET on May 19th, followed by a day two technical keynote hosted by Jay Parikh, Charles Lamanna, and Scott Guthrie. If you want to attend any sessions, then register for free here. The keynote for Microsoft Build 2025 will start at 9AM PT / 12PM ET on May 19th.

Microsoft Build 2025 starts soon: How to watch - and why you'll want to

Microsoft is streaming Build online free of charge, and it'll surely be all about AI, AI, AI. Every year, the spring season brings a series of launch events from the major tech companies, including Microsoft. Now, the tech giant's annual developer conference, Microsoft Build, is here. Also: You can try Microsoft's free AI skills training for two more weeks, and I recommend you do With Google's annual developer conference, Google I/O, taking place the same week, and both companies' keynotes back-to-back, you may be wondering whether either or neither is worth tuning in to. Here's everything you need to know about Microsoft Build. Microsoft Build will take place from May 19 to 22 in Seattle. The keynote, which will likely include major announcements -- including software and hardware reveals -- is slated for the first day from 12:05pm to 1:30pm ET. AI can be expected to be a major theme of the keynote, with the event description on the schedule saying, "Satya Nadella and Microsoft leaders share how Microsoft is creating new opportunity across our platforms in this era of AI." As a result, if you have been keeping up with the latest generative AI offerings, you won't want to miss the event. Last year, the event featured OpenAI-related announcements, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even making an appearance. Even though Microsoft Build takes place in Seattle, the public can tune in to a livestream of the keynotes and breakout sessions on the company's website. To watch, you must register, and the digital pass is free. Getting started is as simple as signing in or registering with your existing LinkedIn, Microsoft or GitHub account, or creating a new username and password. Also: Windows 10 PC can't be upgraded? You have 5 options and 6 months to take action Beyond the keynote, the session catalog has many more sessions you can browse to get a better idea of which you want to tune in to and which are best worth your time. If you already know that date won't work for you, or you don't want to tune in to two keynotes -- Microsoft's and Google's -- in one week, don't worry: ZDNET will be covering the announcements and developments in real time on the site. Although Microsoft does not have all of the attention OpenAI has in the AI space, it's been a major player, offering competitive consumer, developer and enterprise AI solutions, such as its Copilot chatbot. As a result, we expect Microsoft to unveil the latest of its AI offerings, which will likely include Office 365 applications, AI chatbots, Copilot+ PCs, and developer offerings such as GitHub, Fabric, Azure AI, and Azure DevOps. It also wouldn't be a developer conference in 2025 if we don't hear all about AI agents. Also: Microsoft's new Surface devices just got major redesigns - and I'm tempted to switch Most likely, there'll be hardware launches as well. Last year, the day before Microsoft Build, Microsoft unveiled its first consumer AI PCs -- the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. It also unveiled new PCs from its partners, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

Microsoft Build 2025: news and announcements from the developer conference

Microsoft's annual developer conference kicks off today in Seattle, Washington, during the same week Google hosts its own I/O developer event in Mountain View, California. Build will be focused on Microsoft's latest platform changes for developers, including new AI announcements that are bound to go head-to-head with Google's own news. Microsoft is streaming Build online free of charge and developers, students, and engineers will also be able to attend the in-person event at Seattle's conference center. I'm expecting Microsoft to focus largely on AI this year, with emphasis on its push for AI agents that Microsoft envisions working alongside humans as digital colleagues.

Microsoft Build 2025: How to watch and what to expect including Copilot AI, Windows 11 and more

Microsoft's annual Build developer conference kicks off today and, as always, it starts with a keynote. You can watch the opening event live starting at noon Eastern time right here, with the embedded YouTube stream below. (It's also available on Microsoft's website, though you'd have to register and sign in.) Just like last year, the event will be hosted by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, along with the company's Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Scott. According to the keynote page, the executives will be sharing how "Microsoft is creating new opportunity across [its] platforms in this era of AI." The company has been introducing new AI features at Build over the last few years, even as the company's close relationship with OpenAI continues to evolve. We expect Microsoft to add more AI agents to Windows 11 to automate more tasks for you on the operating system. It could also give us an in-depth look at Copilot Vision, a feature that allows the AI assistant to see what you're doing on your computer so it could talk you through various tasks. Microsoft likely wouldn't be announcing new hardware at the event, however, seeing as it has only recently launched a 12-inch Surface Pro tablet and a 13-inch Surface Laptop. The Build conference will also have a day 2 keynote streamed live that is scheduled to feature Scott Guthrie, Jay Parikh, Charles Lamanna and other key Microsoft executives, according to the summary on the event's YouTube page. Microsoft's Build conference will take place from May 19 to May 22. Two other tech events are also taking place around that time: Google's I/O conference from May 20 to 21 and the Computex computer expo in Taiwan from May 20 to 23. Update, May 19, 11:21AM ET: Updated to include link and basic information for the day 2 keynote.

Microsoft Build 2025 LIVE: AI, Windows 11 and Surface news as it happens

Microsoft Build 2025 is nigh, and I'm going to be there this week covering it live in Seattle. This could be a big deal because Build is the company's annual conference for developers, and I expect AI to be the star of the show. Between Microsoft bringing DeepSeek R1 models to Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs and Microsoft 365 Copilot debuting new research tools for work. it's clear AI remains a key priority for the company's software and services. Factor in the fact that Windows 10 will hit end-of-life this October and I think there's a very good chance AI in Windows 11 will dominate the conversation around Build. There's also a chance I may also be among the first in the world to go hands-on with new hardware from Microsoft, as the company unveiled new smaller, cheaper Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices earlier this month. I'm hoping that's not the end of the story, either, as I'd love to see the company unveil a sequel to 2023's Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2. But we'll have to wait and see if there's any more hardware surprises in store for us during the main event: Microsoft's Build 2025 keynote kicks off 12PM ET/9AM PT Monday, May 19! You can stream the keynote live via Microsoft's YouTube channel (embedded above) or just follow along with our liveblog as we report all the most interesting details as they happen.

How to watch Microsoft Build 2025 keynotes: Watch Satya Nadella live in Seattle

Starting on Monday, May 19, you can watch live as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicks off the company's annual developers conference, Microsoft Build 2025. This year, Microsoft Build is being hosted in Seattle, and Nadella will join other Microsoft leaders for a series of livestreamed events. The opening keynote is scheduled to take place on May 19 from 12:05 to 2:00 p.m. EST. Nadella will be joined by Microsoft Chieft Technology Officer Kevin Scott for the opening session. According to the official description from Microsoft, "Satya Nadella and Microsoft leaders share how Microsoft is creating new opportunity across our platforms in this era of AI." You can register to participate in Microsoft Build virtually at the Microsoft website. But the easiest way to watch the event is to catch it live on YouTube. We expect Microsoft Build to include new announcements about Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered AI tool, Copilot. You can also look for "the latest in Copilot, Azure, GitHub, and Windows AI innovations." The event lineup features several highlights, including the keynote with Nadella, a Day 1 deep dive session titled "Unpacking the Tech," and a live recording of Scott and Mark Learn To... -- a podcast that will explore key coding insights and takeaways from the Build event. On the topic of code, it's worth noting that during his last public appearance, Nadella revealed that AI is now responsible for writing 30% of Microsoft's code.