Microsoft Agent Framework: Build Faster

Key insights

• Microsoft Agent Framework: An open-source SDK and runtime for building, orchestrating, and governing multi-agent AI systems.
  It merges research from AutoGen and Semantic Kernel and supports deployment to Azure AI Foundry.
• AI agents and graph-based workflows: Agents process inputs, call tools, take actions, and generate responses with LLMs.
  Graph workflows link agents into multi-step, nested, and human-in-the-loop flows for complex tasks.
• Model providers and open standards: Supports Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, and Azure AI model providers for flexibility.
  Uses standards like Agent2Agent (A2A), Model Context Protocol (MCP), and OpenAPI to ensure vendor-neutral portability.
• Developer tooling: Offers .NET and Python SDKs, local experimentation, VS Code integration, and real-time debugging.
  Developers can prototype locally and scale to cloud deployment with minimal friction.
• Governance and observability: Built-in telemetry and governance features help monitor agent performance and meet compliance needs.
  Enterprises can audit actions, track state, and manage risk across agent networks.
• New capabilities and enterprise readiness: Adds real-time speech-to-speech via the Voice Live API and advanced multi-agent orchestration with persistent state.
  Early enterprise use shows the framework handles production-scale workflows and complex automation.

Keywords

Microsoft Agent Framework, build agents, Azure AI agents, Microsoft Agent SDK, conversational AI agents, autonomous agents Microsoft, custom agent development, agent orchestration Azure