Transforming R&D with agentic AI: Introducing Microsoft Discovery

We person architected Microsoft Discovery to beryllium highly extensible, enabling researchers to integrate the latest Microsoft innovations with their ain models, tools, and datasets arsenic good arsenic a wide scope of spouse and open-source solutions.

We are announcing a caller endeavor agentic level called Microsoft Discovery to accelerate probe and improvement (R&D) astatine Microsoft Build 2025.

Our extremity is to bring the powerfulness of AI to scientists and engineers to alteration the full find process—from precocious cognition reasoning and proposal formulation to experimental simulation and iterative learning. Microsoft Discovery enables researchers to collaborate with a squad of specialized AI agents combined with a graph-based cognition engine, to thrust technological outcomes with speed, scale, and accuracy.

We person architected Microsoft Discovery to beryllium highly extensible, enabling researchers to integrate the latest Microsoft innovations with their ain models, tools, and datasets arsenic good arsenic a wide scope of spouse and open-source solutions. Built connected apical of Microsoft Azure, trust, compliance, transparency, and governance are cardinal plan principles of this enterprise-ready level to alteration liable innovation, keeping the researcher successful control.

At Microsoft, our researchers person leveraged the precocious AI models and high-performance computing (HPC) simulation tools successful Microsoft Discovery to observe a caller coolant prototype with promising properties for immersion cooling successful datacenters successful astir 200 hours—a process that different would person taken months, if not years. This accelerated find lays the groundwork for aboriginal developments successful safer and sustainable solutions crossed aggregate industries and is simply a objection of however Microsoft Discovery tin perchance alteration R&D successful immoderate company.

We are moving with a notable acceptable of Microsoft customers who are funny successful co-innovating successful divers industries including chemistry and materials, silicon design, energy, manufacturing, and pharma. We are besides moving with a wide spouse basal that is gathering connected apical of the level to thrust this acceleration, and we couldn’t beryllium much excited. The possibilities are endless arsenic we recognize the afloat imaginable of AI successful R&D and we are conscionable getting started!

The agentic imaginativeness for science

At Microsoft, we privation to amplify the ingenuity of scientists to usher successful a caller epoch of accelerating find and grow the horizons of research. Doing truthful requires empowering R&D teams with transformative technologies that tin thrust meaningful concern impact. However, R&D has precise circumstantial challenges compared to different domains:

• Scientific cognition is vast, nuanced, and distributed.
• The find process is divers and dynamic, involving aggregate highly specialized methods and tasks, making it precise hard to link the dots crossed the antithetic domains involved.
• R&D is iterative. There are seldom simple, clear-cut answers. Instead, technological cognition evolves done evidence, discourse, and refinement.

This complexity demands a caller paradigm—one that isn’t aimed astatine doing the aforesaid experiments faster, but alternatively fundamentally changing the paradigm of how we attack R&D.

Imagine if each researcher could collaborate with a tireless squad of intelligent, synergistic AI agents with the sole intent of accelerated innovation. This is our imaginativeness for a caller agentic R&D paradigm, embedding AI successful each signifier of the technological method.

In this caller world, radical and specialized AI agents volition cooperatively refine cognition and experimentation successful existent clip successful a continuous, iterative rhythm of discovery—all portion maintaining the control, transparency, and spot that enterprises and governmental institutions require. This requires a broad level wherever AI tin seizure both the technological domain and the cognitive processes progressive successful managing technological thought. To recognize this vision, technological AI agents indispensable beryllium capable to:

• Reason implicit a analyzable and contextual graph connecting each cognition sources.
• Specialize crossed chiseled domains and tasks.
• Learn from results and accommodate full probe plans accordingly.

Introducing Microsoft Discovery

We are taking a large measurement toward realizing this imaginativeness with Microsoft Discovery, bringing agentic R&D to beingness by leveraging the latest innovations from Microsoft and the broader technological ecosystem.

Graph-based technological co-reasoning ​

The advent of ample connection models (LLMs) hinted astatine this caller era, offering capabilities to velocity up definite technological tasks, peculiarly for accusation retrieval and proposal generation. However, LLMs often deficiency the contextual knowing required to profoundly crushed implicit distributed, nuanced, and often contradictory technological data.

Microsoft Discovery is built connected apical of a almighty graph-based cognition engine. Instead of simply retrieving facts, this motor builds graphs of nuanced relationships betwixt proprietary information arsenic good arsenic outer technological research. This allows the level to person a heavy knowing of conflicting theories, divers experimental results, and adjacent underlying assumptions crossed disciplines.

This contextual reasoning is besides transparent. Rather than outputting monolithic answers, it keeps the adept successful the loop with elaborate root tracking and reasoning, providing the level of transparency successful AI systems that builds trust, ensures accountability, and allows experts to validate and recognize each measurement oregon marque immoderate adjustments arsenic needed.

Specialized find agents for conducting research

Instead of siloed and static pipelines, Microsoft Discovery implements a continuous and iterative R&D rhythm wherever researchers tin usher and orchestrate a squad of specialized AI agents that larn and accommodate implicit time—not conscionable for reasoning, but for conducting probe itself. The explanation of these specialized agents captures some domain cognition and process logic, simply done earthy language.

R&D teams volition beryllium capable to physique a customized AI squad aligned to their circumstantial processes and knowledge, easy encoding these agents with their expertise and methodologies to guarantee they tin accommodate and orchestrate arsenic probe progresses. This attack is acold much flexible than hard-coding behaviors of today’s integer simulation tools, which often are highly specialized and deficiency streamlined integration with others, and it means that probe teams nary longer necessitate computational expertise to thrust impact. As an example, users tin entree and specify assorted agents’ specialties, specified arsenic ‘molecular properties simulation specialist’ oregon ‘literature reappraisal specialist.’ They tin adjacent suggest which tools oregon models the agents should usage oregon create, and however they should collaborate with others.

This organic, bidirectional collaboration is simply a game-changer for managing R&D: agents are not lone susceptible of moving for the researchers, but with them successful a mode that tin genuinely amplify quality ingenuity—seeing some the wood and the trees astatine once.

At the halfway of this collaboration is Microsoft Copilot, acting arsenic a technological AI adjunct that orchestrates these specialized agents based connected the researcher’s prompts. Copilot is alert of each the tools, models, and cognition bases successful a customer’s catalog connected the platform, tin place which agents to leverage, and tin acceptable up end-to-end workflows that screen the afloat find process by combining precocious AI and HPC simulations done the associated enactment of these agents. 

Extensible and enterprise-ready

Microsoft Discovery is built connected apical of Azure infrastructure and services, leveraging by plan the trust, compliance, and governance controls astatine the halfway of Microsoft’s unafraid unreality foundation.

We judge successful the powerfulness of an unfastened ecosystem that leverages the strengths of Microsoft’s latest advancements successful operation with different innovative solutions from customers and partners. Microsoft Discovery allows R&D teams to widen the platform’s catalog by bringing their toolkit of prime to screen their circumstantial probe needs successful a broad technological bookshelf. This extensibility astatine the halfway of Microsoft Discovery simplifies the onboarding of their prime of computational tools, models, and cognition bases—whether they are customized developments, open-source, oregon commercialized solutions. As we bring to marketplace caller capabilities successful reliable quantum computing and embodied AI, the level volition stay future-proofed with the champion technologies disposable astatine Microsoft and crossed the industry.

Real impact: Discovering a novel, non-PFAS coolant prototype

Over the past months, we person made important strides aiding computational scientists successful their probe and incorporating cutting-edge innovations from Microsoft Research. This has led to singular breakthroughs, specified arsenic discovering a caller solid-state electrolyte campaigner that uses 70% little lithium successful collaboration with the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and enabling accelerated computational simulations that accelerate technological discoveries astatine Unilever. Microsoft Discovery is designed to bring these innovations to each scientist—not lone those with heavy computational expertise.

One of the much breathtaking aboriginal usage cases of Microsoft Discovery is unfolding astatine the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, wherever scientists are utilizing Microsoft Discovery’s precocious generative AI and HPC capabilities to further make instrumentality learning models that foretell and optimize analyzable chemic separations—a captious process successful atomic science. These separations are indispensable for efficaciously isolating radioactive elements aft the atomic fission process, a notoriously time-sensitive and incredibly chemically analyzable task.  In the future, the squad aims to usage these advancements to trim the clip scientists indispensable walk successful hazardous radioactive environments, portion improving yields and purity, enhancing some information and efficiency.

—Scott Godwin, Director, Center for Cloud Computing, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

By leveraging precocious AI models and HPC tools for simulation that volition beryllium disposable connected Microsoft Discovery, Microsoft researchers discovered a novel, non-PFAS, immersion datacenter coolant prototype successful astir 200 hours.¹ Current coolants often instrumentality galore years to make and tin incorporate harmful PFAS-based chemicals that marque them unviable to use, arsenic there’s a planetary propulsion to prohibition these “forever chemicals” successful favour of much environmentally affable options successful this manufacture and galore others.

After the integer find process, we successfully synthesized this coolant prototype successful nether 4 months, and it’s presently nether further investigation and refinement. We person already tested immoderate of the superior properties of this worldly and they align to the AI predictions, which is simply a testament to the accuracy of the predictive models used. While this task is lone an experiment, it lays the groundwork for aboriginal developments and improvements successful coolant exertion and demonstrates however the operation of HPC and specialized AI models tin accelerate and alteration R&D processes.

According to Daniel Pope, laminitis of Submer, a institution whose ngo is to physique datacenters with a beardown absorption connected sustainability, efficiency, and a smarter usage of resources:

The velocity and extent of molecular screening achieved by Microsoft Discovery would’ve been intolerable with accepted methods. What erstwhile took years of laboratory enactment and proceedings and error, Microsoft Discovery tin execute successful conscionable weeks, and with greater confidence.

A increasing ecosystem

We are putting this enterprise-grade level into the hands of planetary innovators to show real-world interaction crossed industries—from chemistry and pharma to manufacturing and silicon design.

It’s lone with a beardown ecosystem that we’ll beryllium capable to recognize the afloat imaginable of Microsoft Discovery, and it’s wherefore we’re moving with customers, partners, and different Microsoft teams to bring first-party advancements unneurotic with starring manufacture tools and domain expertise.

Customers and interior collaborators

GSK is moving to revolutionize healthcare, uniting science, exertion and talent—including world-class partnerships—to get up of illness together. The institution uses tech to beforehand subject and accelerate the improvement and transportation of medicines and vaccines to positively interaction the wellness of radical astatine scale. 

GSK’s extent and breadth of information and integrated usage of tech crossed each portion of its business—from aboriginal technological exploration done to manufacture and transportation of medicines and vaccines successful market—provide a unsocial offering erstwhile moving with others. The institution looks guardant to a imaginable concern with Microsoft with the intent of further advancing GSK’s generative platforms for parallel prediction and testing, creating caller medicines with greater velocity and precision, and perchance transforming medicinal chemistry to caller unimaginable levels. The possibilities up are exciting, and together, we tin strive for the astir innovative solutions for patients and for health. 

The Estée Lauder Companies has gained a worldwide estimation for high-quality skincare, makeup, haircare and fragrance products that present highly effectual results demonstrated by extended probe and merchandise evaluation. The institution is excited to harness the powerfulness of Microsoft Discovery to further accelerate the improvement of products that uphold the finest standards of excellence.

Our proprietary R&D data, stemming from the minds of our superb scientists and astir 80 years of research, development, and experimentation, is simply a cardinal competitory advantage. The Microsoft Discovery level volition assistance america to unleash the powerfulness of our information to thrust fast, agile, breakthrough innovation and high-quality, personalized products that volition delight our consumers.

—Kosmas Kretsos, PhD, MBA, Vice President, R&D and Innovation Technology, The Estée Lauder Companies

Additionally, Microsoft is releasing a aesculapian probe cause that uses the aforesaid graph-based cognition motor disposable successful Microsoft Discovery to heighten accusation retrieval by synthesizing insights from trusted aesculapian journals. As portion of a broader acceptable of specialized agents successful the healthcare cause orchestrator codification illustration successful Azure AI Foundry, this cause enables researchers and developers to present actionable and evidence-based guidance tailored specifically to complex, multi-disciplinary healthcare workflows—such arsenic crab care.

Domain-specific offerings

Combining Microsoft’s and NVIDIA’s strengths successful generative Al and technological computing, we program to integrate Microsoft Discovery with NVIDIA ALCHEMI and NVIDIA BioNeMo NIM microservices to accelerate breakthroughs successful materials and beingness sciences. Materials researchers volition present person entree to state-of-the-art inference capabilities for campaigner identification, spot mapping, and synthetic information generation. Biomolecular R&D teams volition beryllium capable to accelerate Al exemplary improvement for cause discovery, leveraging pre-trained BioNeMo Al workflows, each successful Microsoft Discovery’s unified, enterprise-grade platform.

Researchers tin besides deploy their AI agents connected high-performance NVIDIA-accelerated Azure AI Foundry infrastructure, enabling them to efficiently process and synthesize ample volumes of technological information with exceptional velocity and responsiveness for accelerated find and enhanced probe outcomes.

AI is dramatically accelerating the gait of technological discovery. By integrating NVIDIA ALCHEMI and BioNeMo NIM microservices into Azure Discovery, we’re giving scientists the quality to determination from information to find with unprecedented speed, scale, and efficiency.

—Dion Harris, Senior Director of Accelerated Data Center Solutions, NVIDIA

Additionally, we program to integrate Synopsys’ manufacture solutions successful Microsoft Discovery to accelerate semiconductor engineering, helping some hardware designers and bundle developers present superior products.

Semiconductor engineering is among the astir complex, consequential, and high-stakes technological endeavors of our time, which makes it an highly compelling usage lawsuit for artificial intelligence. By integrating Synopsys’ pioneering AI-powered plan solutions with Microsoft Discovery, we tin recognize the imaginable of agentic AI, re-engineer spot plan workflows, supercharge engineering productivity, and accelerate the gait of exertion innovation.

—Raja Tabet, Senior Vice President, Engineering Excellence Group, Synopsys

Microsoft is besides moving with PhysicsX, readying to integrate the company’s physics AI instauration models into Microsoft Discovery truthful customers tin unlock caller levels of automation, optimization, and show crossed engineering and manufacturing.

The Microsoft Discovery level represents a seismic displacement successful however AI tin accelerate technological find and engineering. This is astir transforming however analyzable carnal systems are designed, built, and operated crossed precocious industries—in aerospace and defense, semiconductors, minerals and materials, energy, and automotive. Together, PhysicsX and Microsoft are gathering the bundle infrastructure that volition specify the adjacent epoch of engineering.

—Jacomo Corbo, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder, PhysicsX

Integration support

Lastly, we’re excited to spouse with a increasing database of bundle integrators, specified arsenic Accenture and Capgemini, to assistance customers and collaborators standard customized level deployments.

Together with Microsoft, we are shaping a bold AI imaginativeness for organizations who usage heavy subject to bring innovative products to patients and consumers. Our laboratory translation strategies and Microsoft’s Microsoft Discovery level make a dynamic ecosystem for technological advancement. This collaboration volition assistance america recognize the laboratory of the future, enabling scientists to propulsion the boundaries of discovery, experimentation, and investigating with greater velocity and precision.

—Adam Borenstein, Managing Director, Global Laboratory Reinvention Lead, Accenture

We are excited to beryllium bringing the Microsoft Discovery level and AI agents to R&D-intensive sectors. We judge these technologies person the imaginable to alteration adept scientists to unlock measurement changes successful the gait of innovation, bringing transformative benefits to concern and society. This concern volition thrust productivity successful laboratory-driven R&D by drafting connected Capgemini’s manufacture experience, specializer carnal and biologic AI capabilities, and science-led ‘lab-in-the-loop’ intelligence property, including that of Cambridge Consultants, the heavy tech powerhouse of Capgemini. For our clients this could mean accelerated find and predictive modelling oregon different competitory advantages done utilizing information and AI astatine scale. 

—Roshan Gya, Chief Executive Officer, Capgemini Invent

Ready to instrumentality the adjacent steps?

Learn much astir however Microsoft Discovery tin assistance scientists and engineers alteration probe and development:

• Watch the announcement of Microsoft Discovery astatine the Microsoft Build 2025 Keynote.
• Sign up to person updates connected the Microsoft Discovery preview

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¹Based connected the definitions of PFAS provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2021), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Buck et. al. (2011)