Microsoft Unveils Project Solara, an Android-Based Platform for 'Agent-First' Devices, With a Wearable AI Badge
At Build 2026, Microsoft revealed Project Solara, a chip-to-cloud platform built on AOSP for devices that run AI agents instead of apps, including a reference-design wearable badge.
Overview
At its Build 2026 developer conference, Microsoft introduced Project Solara, a platform designed for a new class of devices that run AI agents rather than traditional apps. According to Microsoft, Solara is “a chip-to-cloud platform, codenamed Project Solara, designed from the ground up for agent-first experiences and the new device form factors they enable.” As reported by Tom’s Hardware, the platform targets “agent-first” enterprise devices — hardware built to run AI agents instead of conventional applications.
The announcement was part of the same conference where Microsoft positioned Windows as an agent platform, as previously reported. Project Solara extends that bet beyond the PC and into purpose-built hardware.
What We Know
Unlike Windows, Project Solara runs on Android. According to UC Today, the platform “runs on Android – specifically Microsoft’s own Device Ecosystem Platform – rather than Windows.” Microsoft describes that operating system, MDEP, as “an enterprise-grade operating system built on AOSP,” according to Microsoft. Tom’s Hardware reports the system is built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) with a lightweight edge OS called the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP).
The centerpiece of the reveal was a wearable badge reference design. According to UC Today, the badge is roughly the size of a standard ID card and includes a camera, a touchscreen, a fingerprint scanner, and a one-press button to wake an agent. Microsoft lists the badge reference design as carrying a touchscreen display, a “Hello for Business fingerprint sensor button,” a side-facing camera, a far-field microphone array and speaker, and WiFi, Bluetooth, GNSS, and 5G connectivity. According to Notebookcheck, the device also includes a privacy switch and volume controls.
Microsoft is not planning to manufacture and sell these devices itself. According to UC Today, the badge and other devices are “reference designs – blueprints the company hopes third-party hardware manufacturers will use to build real products,” and Microsoft is not shipping the devices directly. Microsoft frames the platform around reference designs that OEMs and partners build, rather than finished products from Microsoft.
On silicon, the platform relies on two chip vendors. According to UC Today, the devices are “powered by chips from Qualcomm and MediaTek.” Microsoft specifies the badge reference design uses Qualcomm wearable silicon, and Tom’s Hardware reports that Qualcomm covers portable and wearable form factors while MediaTek handles stationary devices.
Microsoft also named early adopters. According to Microsoft, the companies expected to work with the reference designs include “AccuWeather, Best Buy, CVS Health, Levi’s, Target, and others.” Free Press Journal reports that AccuWeather, Best Buy, CVS Health, and Target are expected to test Solara devices, and that the platform integrates with Microsoft’s enterprise tools including Intune, Entra ID, and Windows Hello for Business.
The pitch for the badge is that an agent can perceive and act on the user’s surroundings. According to UC Today, the device is designed to “see, listen, and act on behalf of the user.” Free Press Journal reports that Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche described the camera as giving agents the ability to “better understand and help take action on the environment around them.”
Microsoft executives framed the platform as a shift in how computing is delivered. According to Tom’s Hardware, Steven Bathiche, Corporate Vice President and Technical Fellow in Microsoft’s Applied Sciences Group, said: “The ‘operating system’ is liminal, transcending the device and the cloud. The system brings a lightweight window to the edge, where the agent manifests and where the state, via Azure, can encompass a constellation of specialized devices.” According to UC Today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: “That’s what we’re trying to get done with Project Solara, so that you, as developers and enterprises, have the flexibility to imagine the form factors that you want.”
What We Don’t Know
Microsoft has not announced pricing for the badge or any other Solara device, nor a general-availability date for partner-built hardware. The specific Qualcomm chip in the badge reference design was not named; Notebookcheck describes it as an unannounced wearable silicon. It also remains unclear how far the named pilot companies will take the reference designs, and whether any will ship a commercial product. Notebookcheck reports that Microsoft is currently testing the badge and smart display devices internally among hundreds of employees before broader enterprise pilots in sectors including healthcare, retail, hospitality, financial services, legal, industrial, and field services.