Don Scott shares Microsoft’s recognition as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI Application Development Platforms, spotlighting technical innovation in agent frameworks and the Microsoft Foundry platform.

Microsoft Named Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI Application Development Platforms

Microsoft has been recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for AI Application Development Platforms, positioned furthest for Completeness of Vision. This recognition underscores Microsoft’s commitment to pioneering new approaches in agent frameworks, orchestration, and enterprise-grade governance, positioning the company at the forefront of next-generation AI application development.

Why This Matters

Gartner evaluates platforms on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. Microsoft’s leadership signifies that its vision for agent-driven applications is matched by robust, real-world tools and governance. Modern AI applications require more than just innovative demos—they need agent frameworks grounded in enterprise data, capable of automating complex workflows with full-scale observability and security.

Microsoft Foundry: Technical Innovation for AI

Microsoft Foundry is at the heart of this innovation. Foundry enables developers and organizations to:

  • Integrate with real data and tools: Foundry IQ provides secure access to enterprise data, and Foundry Tools offers 1,400+ pre-built connectors for various business systems.
  • Move beyond conversation to workflow integration: Foundry Agent Service supports orchestration among multiple agents, enabling automated business process execution within Copilot or custom applications.
  • Ensure observability and governance: Foundry Control Plane delivers organization-wide visibility, audit trails, and policy enforcement, supporting compliance at scale.
  • Deploy models from cloud to edge: Foundry Models supports fine-tuning and deployment with enterprise-grade operations, including on-device execution via Foundry Local for edge or offline scenarios.

Foundry integrates with industry-standard developer tools (Visual Studio Code, GitHub, Azure) and productivity platforms (Microsoft 365, Teams), enabling seamless development and deployment of AI applications.

Agent-driven Development Approach

For their Gartner submission, Microsoft built a custom agent using their open-source Agent Framework and Foundry platform. The agent automated data gathering, organization, and validation for the evaluation process, improving accuracy and reducing manual effort. Technical highlights include a structured prompt and workflow, integration with Foundry’s PaaS offerings, and multimodal content processing. This approach exemplifies Microsoft’s focus on technical rigor and innovation.

Real-world Impact: Customer Success Stories

Microsoft Foundry is already used by over 80,000 enterprises across multiple sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing. Customer quotes highlight achievements like:

  • Conversational AI for healthcare (Genie / healow)
  • Generative AI for industrial performance (Genix Copilot on Azure OpenAI / ABB)
  • Agent framework for regulated audit processes (Foundry Agent Service / KPMG International)
  • AI-based shopping experiences (Ask Ralph / Ralph Lauren)

These stories demonstrate how Foundry empowers organizations to build scalable, trustworthy, and innovative AI systems.

Additional Resources

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for AI Application Development Platforms, 17 November 2025. Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. All rights reserved.

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