GoKawiilProject Solara, a new AI cloud platform, was announced at Microsoft Build. Corinne Reichert/CNET
Nadella announced Project Solara, billed as a "new chip-to-cloud platform" for AI agent devices.
Steven Bathiche, who leads Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group, demonstrated onstage a new portable device built with Qualcomm silicon.
"It's a turnkey solution for building unique agent-first devices," Bathiche said, as he showed off an early prototype.
Steven Bathiche demonstrated a new AI agent access badge built using Qualcomm silicon. Corinne Reichert/CNET
"The Access Badge, built using Qualcomm silicon for wearables -- this digital badge is a lightweight form factor designed for agent interactions on the go," he said. You can unlock the badge with your fingerprint and use verbal commands to control the AI agent.
During the demo, he asked the badge to take photos for a social media post, using it to scan the crowd at the Build keynote. He asked Copilot to find some good shots from the audience scan, clean them up and send them to him and his team for review.
Microsoft is already working with AccuWeather, Best Buy, CVS Health, Levi Strauss and Target on the badge.
The other device Microsoft unveiled was a stationery-agentic AI MediaTek device, powered by Microsoft's new Work IQ. Microsoft Work IQ provides workplace context for AI agents working in organizations, including access across Microsoft 365 -- like emails, documents and meetings -- and will be generally available on June 16.
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