National
ETV Bharat / technology
By ETV Bharat Tech Team
Published : June 3, 2026 at 2:31 PM IST
Hyderabad: Microsoft has unveiled Project Solara, a new platform that could fundamentally change how people interact with computing devices. Announced at Build 2026, Solara is designed for what the company calls “agent-first devices”, systems that run AI agents instead of traditional applications, shifting the core unit of computing from apps to tasks.
At the core, Solara is a chip-to-cloud platform built on an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) base, layered with Microsoft’s enterprise stack, including identity management via Entra ID, device management through Intune, and Copilot-powered agents. The system is designed to operate across both local hardware and cloud infrastructure.
How will Solara work?
In a conventional setup, even routine workflows demand switching between multiple applications. Scheduling a meeting, summarising documents, and sending follow-ups each require separate tools. Solara attempts to eliminate that fragmentation.
Rather than opening individual apps, users provide commands or prompts. The system then interprets the intent and orchestrates the workflow in the background, deciding which services to call, how data is retrieved, and how results are presented. all without requiring the user to interact directly with any underlying application.
How is Solara structured?
Solara operates across three distinct layers. The device layer is built on AOSP, handling hardware-level functions such as connectivity, sensors, and security, with Microsoft’s enterprise identity and management tools integrated on top.
The agent and orchestration layer sits at the core of the platform. Agents here operate across services rather than within apps, accessing enterprise systems, cloud data, and local inputs simultaneously. A request such as “prepare a summary of today’s meetings” would trigger the retrieval of calendar data, access to relevant documents, AI-generated summaries, and structured output — all without exposing any individual application to the user.
The final layer is the interface, which is not rigid and changes according to the platform. Microsoft describes this as “just-in-time UI”. With the help of this, Solara will generate interfaces dynamically based on context, device type, and user intent. A wearable might display a brief of any matter, while a larger screen would render detailed data along with controls to adjust it if necessary. In theory, developers no longer need to design separate interfaces for different screen sizes.
Solara-based Hardwares
Microsoft showcased two reference device designs alongside the platform. The first is a wearable badge aimed at enterprise workers, equipped with a touchscreen, microphone array, camera, and biometric authentication, allowing interaction through voice or touch. The second is a desk companion device with a touchscreen and ambient sensors that can double as a cloud PC client when connected to an external display.
Neither device runs traditional applications. There is no app store or desktop interface. All interactions are mediated through agents.
A Wider Industry Movement
Microsoft is not alone in pursuing agent-first computing, though its approach is notably more integrated. Google is embedding its Gemini AI as the primary interaction layer in Android XR devices, including smart glasses, and introduced Gemini Intelligence at Google I/O 2026, enabling tasks to be carried out across apps and websites on behalf of users.
OpenAI, on the other hand, is developing AI-first hardware in partnership with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive, with a focus on agent-centred interaction. At the infrastructure level, NVIDIA chief executive Jensen Huang has stated that “AI agents will be the largest users of computing,” pointing to the company’s Vera CPU as purpose-built for agentic workloads.
What sets Solara apart is its ambition to bring all these elements — hardware partnerships with Qualcomm and MediaTek, operating system design, and enterprise deployment — into a single, unified platform.
Challenges with Solara
Solara remains an early-stage platform, currently limited to concept hardware and pilot environments. Its success depends heavily on the maturity of AI agents, which must reliably interpret intent and coordinate across services in complex, multi-step workflows — a capability that is still evolving.
There is also the challenge of ecosystem transition. The app-based model is deeply embedded in established developer tools, distribution systems, and business models. Displacing it would require not just new technology, but a fundamental rethinking of how software is built and consumed.
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