Effective November 19, 2024, Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, formerly known as Azure AI Studio, is available. This portal makes Azure AI capabilities accessible from familiar tools, like GitHub, Visual Studio, and Copilot Studio.
What is Microsoft Azure AI Foundry?
Microsoft Azure AI Foundry brings together capabilities from across multiple Azure AI Services. This platform is designed to help developers build, test, and deploy AI applications. It provides a wide range of AI tools and machine learning models and supports collaboration throughout the entire development lifecycle, from initial exploration to full-scale production.
Key Features
- Centralized Platform: Azure AI Foundry brings together all the tools and services you need to build AI applications in one place. This makes it easier to manage your projects and ensures everything works seamlessly together.
- Easy Integration: It integrates smoothly with popular development environments like GitHub and Visual Studio, allowing you to use familiar tools while building your AI solutions.
- Scalability: Azure AI Foundry helps you scale your AI projects from small proofs of concept to full-scale production applications. This means you can start small and grow your projects as needed without worrying about infrastructure.
- End-to-End Management: The platform supports the entire AI development lifecycle, from data preparation and model training to deployment and monitoring. This comprehensive approach ensures your AI projects are well-managed from start to finish.
- Enhanced Security and Compliance: Azure AI Foundry includes robust security features and compliance tools, ensuring your AI applications are secure and meet regulatory requirements.
- Collaboration: It facilitates teamwork by allowing multiple developers to work on the same project.
- Cost Efficiency: With its pay-as-you-go model, you only pay for the resources you use, making it a cost-effective solution for AI development.
- AI Model Diversity: The platform supports a wide range of AI models, including custom machine learning models, OpenAI models, and Azure Cognitive Services, giving you the flexibility to choose the best tools for your needs.
Licensing
Even though the platform itself is free, customers are being billed for used resources and integrations.
- Pay-As-You-Go: You are billed based on the resources you use, including compute, storage, and specific AI services. This flexible model allows you to scale your usage according to your needs.
- Azure AI Services: Charges apply for the AI models and services you use within Azure AI Foundry. This includes costs for accessing pre-trained models, fine-tuning models, and using APIs.
- Separate Billing for Integrations: If you integrate Azure AI Foundry with other services like Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft SharePoint, or Azure AI Search, you will incur additional charges for these services.
- Free Preview: During the preview phase, certain features of Azure AI Foundry, such as the Playground, are free to use. However, standard rates apply for any Azure AI services and resources used within the Foundry.
For expert advice on licensing Azure, consult SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT. We provide detailed guidance on how to best license AI models with Azure within your organization.
FAQ
Who is Azure AI Foundry intended for?
Azure AI Foundry is designed for AI software developers, cloud architects, and technical decision-makers who want to create generative AI applications and custom copilot experiences.
How can I calculate costs for Azure AI Foundry?
Azure provides tools like the Azure pricing calculator to help you estimate and manage costs effectively. This allows you to plan your budget and monitor expenses as you add resources.
How to access Azure AI Foundry?
You can explore Azure AI Foundry without authentication. To use its templates, tools, and model catalog, you need to register or sign in to your Azure account.
What regions is Azure AI Foundry available in?
Azure AI Foundry is available in most regions where Azure AI services are offered. For specific region support, you can check out this documentation.
How is the playground in Azure AI Foundry portal different from the Azure OpenAI Studio playground?
The playground experiences in both Azure AI Foundry and Azure OpenAI Studio are similar. However, Azure AI Foundry provides playground experience for models in addition to those provisioned via Azure OpenAI Studio.
What is the billing model for Model-as-a-Service (MaaS)?
Azure AI Foundry uses a pay-as-you-go model for its inference APIs and hosted fine-tuning services for Llama 2 family models. During the preview phase, there are no additional charges for using Azure AI Foundry itself, but you will still incur the usual costs for AI services and other Azure resources you use.
More Information
- Try out Azure AI Foundry: https://ai.azure.com/.
- Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/the-next-wave-of-azure-innovation-azure-ai-foundry-intelligent-data-and-more/.
- Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-studio/what-is-ai-studio.
- AI Model Catalog: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-studio/how-to/model-catalog-overview.
- FAQ: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-studio/faq.
- Our Microsoft Page: https://www.schneider.im/software/microsoft.
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