We’ve just released major updates to our data access libraries, bringing native support for vector data to both the .NET and JDBC ecosystems, unlocking significant performance gains for AI and machine learning workloads.

Microsoft.Data.SqlClient 6.1.0

With the new SqlVector class, you can now handle vector data in binary format, replacing the slower JSON array approach. This means:

• Up to 50x faster reads, 3.3x faster writes, and 19x faster bulk copy operations.
• Lower memory usage by avoiding JSON serialization
• Native support for 32-bit float vectors, with extensibility for future numeric types.

Check out the official documentation with a sample: Native vector data type .NET Driver Support

For all details, check out the release notes: https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/releases/tag/v6.1.0 

Microsoft JDBC Driver for SQL Server 13.1.0

We’ve also added native support for the VECTOR data type in the JDBC driver, enabling:

• Direct use of vectors in inserts, selects, stored procedures, and bulk copy.
• Elimination of string-based vector handling.
• Seamless integration for Java-based AI and semantic search applications.

Check out the official documentation with a sample: Native vector data type JDBC Driver Support

JDBC release notes: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-jdbc/releases/tag/v13.1.0

These updates are a big step forward in making vector workloads faster, leaner, and easier to work with, whether you’re building in .NET or Java. Don’t wait a second and start to use the new drivers right away!