Microsoft Events presents an Ignite 2025 session on the Microsoft Discovery Platform, where John Link, Auloke Mathur, Julie Mijajlovic, and Prashant Varshney discuss the use of AI agents, Azure AI, and quantum computing to transform scientific research and development.

Accelerating R&D and Scientific Breakthroughs with Microsoft Discovery

Session: BRK182 | Microsoft Ignite 2025

Overview

The Microsoft Discovery Platform is designed to empower scientific researchers by providing agentic AI capabilities – teams of intelligent, collaborative agents focused on advancing innovation. Through a continuous R&D cycle, researchers can orchestrate specialized agents for both complex reasoning and hands-on research tasks.

Key Topics Covered

• Announcement and Purpose: Introduction to the Discovery Platform's vision of synergistic, tireless AI agents supporting R&D.
• Azure AI and Foundry: Integration of Azure AI services and Foundry to leverage existing tools and avoid redundant development.
• GraphRAG Technology: Advances in GraphRAG for organizing and retrieving scientific knowledge.
• Science Supercomputer & Quantum: Usage of quantum computing to accelerate scientific simulations.
• AI Product Development: Building internal chatbots and sales tools as initial AI products supporting the Discovery project.
• Scientific Data Challenges: Navigating data challenges and defining scientific use cases for agent-based workflows.
• Report & Simulation: Running large-scale simulations and generating final reports to inform research outcomes.
• Broader Impact of AI: How agentic AI is shaping product design and the future of R&D.
• Collaboration Invitation: Encouragement to participate and collaborate in ongoing Discovery initiatives.

Session Speakers

• John Link
• Auloke Mathur
• Julie Mijajlovic
• Prashant Varshney

Chapters

1. Announcement of Microsoft Discovery Platform and its purpose (0:00)
2. Leveraging Azure AI and Foundry to Avoid Reinventing Tools (00:09:46)
3. Scientific Bookshelf and Advances in GraphRAG Technology (00:13:39)
4. Science Supercomputer and Integration of Quantum Computing (00:14:18)
5. Development of Initial AI Products: Internal chatbot and sales tools (00:21:03)
6. Challenges in use case definition & scientific data handling (00:23:19)
7. Final Simulation and Report Generation (00:36:33)
8. Recap and Broader Impact of AI on Product Design (00:41:49)
9. Conclusion and Invitation for Collaboration (00:42:54)

Resources

• Session Recording & Resources
• Microsoft Ignite On-Demand Sessions

Technical Highlights

• Utilization of Azure AI for orchestrating agent teams
• Integration with Foundry and GraphRAG for knowledge management
• Quantum computing as part of simulation and analysis
• Addressing scientific data management and use case challenges
• Development of AI-powered productivity tools for internal R&D

Collaboration and Further Learning

Participants are invited to join ongoing collaborations with Microsoft Discovery and explore further Ignite sessions for deeper technical content and case studies.