Semantic Kernel
The latest news from the Semantic Kernel team for developers
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Python Vector Store Connectors update: Faiss, Azure SQL Server and Pinecone
Announcing New Vector Stores: Faiss, SQL Server, and Pinecone We are thrilled to announce the availability of three new Vector Stores and Vector Store Record Collections: Faiss, SQL Server, and Pinecone. These new connectors will enable you to store and retrieve vector data efficiently, making it easier to work with your own data and data models. Faiss Faiss is a library for efficient similarity search and clustering of dense vectors. It builds on the built-in InMemoryCollection, by creating Faiss indexes on the side, which are then used for the actual vector search. Setup Install Semantic Kernel with ...
Guest Blog: Semantic Kernel and Copilot Studio Usage Series – Part 1
Today on the Semantic Kernel blog we're excited to welcome a group of guest authors from Microsoft. We'll turn it over to Riccardo Chiodaroli, Samer El Housseini, Daniel Labbe and Fabrizio Ruocco to dive into their use cases with Semantic Kernel and Copilot Studio. In today's fast-paced digital economy, intelligent automation is no longer optional—it's an essential capability for organizations striving to remain competitive and agile. Modern business success depends not merely on adopting advanced technologies, but on seamlessly integrating them into existing operations to enhance productivity, improve custo...
Semantic Kernel Agents are now Generally Available
The time is finally here, Semantic Kernel’s Agent framework is now Generally Available! Available today as part of Semantic Kernel 1.45 (.NET) and 1.27 (Python), the Semantic Kernel Agent framework makes it easier for agents to coordinate and dramatically reduces the code developers need to write to build amazing AI applications. What does Generally Available mean? When we mark an API as Generally Available it means that we have high confidence in the quality of the surface for building AI applications and that we can support and maintain the API going forward. We know that a stable and supported API is import...
Using OpenAI’s Audio-Preview Model with Semantic Kernel
OpenAI's gpt-4o-audio-preview is a powerful multimodal model that enables audio input and output capabilities, allowing developers to create more natural and accessible AI interactions. This model supports both speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionalities in a single API call through the Chat Completions API, making it suitable for building voice-enabled applications where turn-based interactions are appropriate. In this post, we'll explore how to use the audio-preview model with Semantic Kernel in both C# and Python to create voice-enabled AI applications. Best Use Cases Best for turn-based interaction...
Building a Model Context Protocol Server with Semantic Kernel
This is second MCP related blog post that is part of a series of blog posts that will cover how to use Semantic Kernel (SK) with the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This blog post demonstrates how to build an MCP server using MCP C# SDK and SK, expose SK plugins as MCP tools and call the tools from client side via SK. Here are a few reasons why you might want to build an MCP server with SK: For more information about MCP, please refer to the documentation. The sample described below uses the official ModelContextProtocol nuget package. Its runnable source code is available in the Semantic...
Semantic Kernel Agent Framework RC2
Three weeks ago we released the Release the Agents! SK Agents Framework RC1 | Semantic Kernel and we’ve been thrilled to see the momentum grow. Thank you to everyone who has shared feedback, filed issues, and started building with agents in Semantic Kernel—we’re seeing more developers try agents than ever before. Today, we’re declaring build 1.43 (.NET) and 1.26.1 (Python) as Release Candidate 2 of the Semantic Kernel Agent Framework. With this release, we’re introducing a small but impactful change to how agents handle chat message threads —one that sets the stage for powerful new capabilities coming soon. ...
Accelerating Agentic Workflows with NVIDIA AgentIQ, Azure AI Foundry and Semantic Kernel
Today, we're excited to announce our collaboration with NVIDIA. In Azure AI Foundry, we've integrated NVIDIA NIM microservices and the NVIDIA AgentIQ toolkit into Azure AI Foundry—unlocking unprecedented efficiency, performance, and cost optimization for your AI projects. Read more on the announcement here. Optimizing performance with NVIDIA AgentIQ and Semantic Kernel Once your NVIDIA NIM microservices are deployed, NVIDIA AgentIQ takes center stage. This open-source toolkit is designed to seamlessly connect, profile, and optimize teams of AI agents, enables your systems to run at peak performance. AgentIQ del...
Guest Blog: Build a Multi-Agent System Using Microsoft Azure AI Agent Service and Semantic Kernel in 3 Simple Steps!
Build a Multi-Agent System Using Microsoft Azure AI Agent Service and Semantic Kernel in 3 Simple Steps! Today we're thrilled to welcome back guest author, Akshay Kokane to share his recent Medium article on Build a Multi-Agent System Using Microsoft Azure AI Agent Service and Semantic Kernel in 3 Simple Steps. We’ll turn it over to him to dive in! In my previous blog, I introduced Microsoft’s Azure AI Agent Service, a fully managed platform that simplifies the process of building, deploying, and scaling AI agents. Unlike OpenAI Assistant, Azure AI Agent Service offers greater flexibility, supporting multip...
Customer Case Study: Announcing the Microsoft Semantic Kernel Couchbase Connector
We're thrilled to announce the launch of the Semantic Kernel Couchbase Vector Store Connector for .NET developers, created through our strategic partnership with Microsoft's Semantic Kernel team. This powerful out-of-the-box connector transforms how developers integrate vector search capabilities into their AI applications. What sets this connector apart is how it harnesses Couchbase's distributed NoSQL platform alongside Semantic Kernel's vector store abstractions, creating an integration that prioritizes both performance and developer experience. The Semantic Kernel Couchbase Vector Store Connector elimin...