Microsoft's Project Solara: An Android OS for AI Agents

Microsoft has introduced Project Solara, an Android-based operating system designed to run artificial intelligence (AI) agents instead of traditional applications. This development was announced at Build 2026. The company envisions Solara as a future platform for various specialized devices.

Project Solara is currently a conceptual platform. It relies on the future development of advanced AI models. Microsoft states that Solara aims to generate contextual interfaces on demand. This approach would allow the operating system to adapt to different devices and user needs.

Microsoft describes Solara as a chip-to-cloud platform. It intends to free AI agents from being tied to single interfaces. The company highlights the complexity and cost associated with developing specialized interfaces for new computing form factors. Solara is built on an open-source version of Google's Android software, known as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Microsoft refers to its underlying operating system as the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform.

The platform includes Microsoft enterprise technologies and a shell for interacting with multiple AI agents. Microsoft calls this concept "just-in-time UI." This system would use agents to create interfaces appropriate for a watch, a desktop monitor, or smart glasses. For example, a work badge running Solara could display a minimal interface. The same functions on a smart display would offer more data and features.

Microsoft has showcased two concept devices for Project Solara. The Desk Concept is a smart display with a touchscreen, microphones, and a camera. It would provide updates from AI agents and could function as a secondary monitor or a standalone Windows PC via Windows 365 cloud computing. This concept uses MediaTek IoT chips.

The Badge Concept is a work badge with a touchscreen, 5G connectivity, a camera, microphones, and a fingerprint scanner. This Qualcomm-based device would offer biometric-authenticated access to AI agents. Microsoft suggests it could record meetings and use its camera to interact with the environment.