Seattle, WA — Microsoft’s annual developer conference, Build 2025, kicks off today in Seattle, coinciding with Google’s I/O developer event in Mountain View, California. This year’s Build is expected to spotlight Microsoft’s latest platform updates for developers, with a heavy emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) innovations that directly compete with Google’s announcements.

Microsoft is offering free online streaming of the event, while also welcoming developers, students, and engineers to attend in person at Seattle’s conference center. The company is anticipated to focus on its vision for AI agents — digital collaborators designed to work alongside humans to enhance productivity and creativity.

A highlight may be news regarding Microsoft’s potential hosting of Elon Musk’s Grok AI model. Insider reports previously revealed that Microsoft is negotiating with xAI to integrate Grok AI into its Azure AI Foundry service, with an announcement possible during Build.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who made an appearance at last year’s Build, may also feature in this year’s event. Earlier reports suggested a planned launch of OpenAI’s GPT-5 model in late May, but insiders now indicate delays could push back that timeline. Nonetheless, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Altman continue to publicly reaffirm their partnership, recently sharing a selfie amid rumors of tensions between the companies.

Nadella will open the conference with the keynote at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET) on May 19, followed by a technical keynote on day two led by Jay Parikh, Charles Lamanna, and Scott Guthrie.

Developers and enthusiasts can register free of charge to watch the Build 2025 keynote and sessions online.