Software development continues to evolve at an incredible pace. New frameworks, platforms, and AI capabilities are changing not only how we build applications, but also how we design, deploy, and operate them.
On June 2nd, 2026, I attended Microsoft Build Localhost Brussels in my free time, hosted at the Microsoft Innovation Hub Brussels. As someone who enjoys staying up to date with the latest developments in software development and cloud technologies, it was a great opportunity to follow the latest announcements from Microsoft Build alongside fellow developers, architects, and technology enthusiasts.
Beyond the technical content, the venue itself was impressive. The Microsoft Innovation Hub provided a great environment for learning, networking, and exchanging ideas with fellow developers.
Throughout the event, many interesting topics were discussed, particularly around AI, agents, and cloud-native development. Among all the announcements, three stood out to me the most: Azure HorizonDB, Rayfin, and Project Solara.
Azure HorizonDB
Azure HorizonDB, Microsoft’s fully managed PostgreSQL-compatible database service engineered for modern AI-powered applications
As AI applications become increasingly sophisticated, traditional database architectures often struggle to provide the scalability, low latency, and global availability that these applications require. HorizonDB aims to address these challenges by providing a distributed database platform that can operate efficiently across multiple regions while maintaining strong performance characteristics.
What makes HorizonDB stand out for AI workloads specifically are the newly announced built-in features: advanced vector indexing, semantic search, and in-database access to AI models. On top of that, it integrates directly with Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Foundry, meaning application data doesn’t need to be duplicated or moved to become useful for analytics and AI pipelines.
The announcement reflects Microsoft’s continued investment in building infrastructure specifically optimized for AI workloads, not by adapting a generic database, but by evolving a widely trusted open standard (PostgreSQL) into a platform designed for the agent era. It will be interesting to see how developers adopt HorizonDB as agentic systems become more common.
Rayfin: AI-First Application Backends
Another announcement that immediately caught my attention was Rayfin, Microsoft’s new AI-first approach for building, deploying, and governing application backends.
Traditionally, backend development involves designing APIs, implementing business logic, managing databases, configuring infrastructure, and establishing governance processes. Rayfin proposes a fundamentally different approach where AI plays a central role throughout the entire application lifecycle.
The concept aligns with a broader industry trend: developers increasingly focus on defining business requirements and desired outcomes while AI-assisted platforms handle much of the implementation complexity.
What I found particularly compelling was the emphasis on governance. As organizations adopt AI-generated solutions at scale, maintaining control, security, compliance, and observability becomes increasingly important. Rayfin appears to combine rapid AI-assisted development with the governance capabilities enterprises require.
If the platform delivers on its vision, it could significantly reduce the amount of repetitive backend development work while allowing teams to focus more on solving business problems.
Project Solara
The third announcement that stood out was Project Solara, Microsoft’s vision for a new generation of agent-first devices.
While agents have become one of the most discussed topics in the technology industry, Project Solara takes a different angle than most agent-related announcements. Rather than focusing purely on how software agents are orchestrated, it asks a more fundamental question: if agents are becoming the primary way people interact with computers, what should the computer itself look like?
The premise is compelling. Every major shift in interaction technology, from command lines to graphical interfaces to touchscreens, has ultimately given rise to new device form factors. Microsoft’s argument is that agents, as a new interaction model based on natural language and intent, will do the same.
Project Solara is the platform designed to make that transition possible. It establishes hardware and software requirements for agent-first devices, with enterprise manageability, security, and privacy at its foundation. Two concept reference designs were unveiled: a badge-like portable device for information workers and frontline staff, and a desk companion device for office environments. Both are built around multimodal interaction, voice, touch, and vision and are designed to give people direct, frictionless access to their agents throughout the day.
As organizations continue exploring agentic architectures, platforms like Solara could play a crucial role in making these systems more accessible and manageable for development teams.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft Build Localhost Brussels was an inspiring event and a great opportunity to stay informed about the latest developments in the Microsoft ecosystem.
A common theme across many of the announcements was clear: Microsoft is heavily investing in a future where AI agents become an integral part of software development and application architecture. Whether through specialized databases such as HorizonDB, AI-first backend platforms like Rayfin, or agent-first device platforms such as Solara, the focus is increasingly shifting toward enabling developers to build intelligent, autonomous systems.
Beyond the presentations themselves, it was valuable to discuss these technologies with other developers and hear different perspectives on how they may impact our industry in the coming years.
The event left me genuinely excited about the direction software development is heading. While many of these technologies are still in their early stages, they provide a fascinating glimpse into what the next generation of applications may look like.
And if Microsoft Build Localhost returns to Brussels next year, I would certainly recommend attending.
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