Reflecting on a Year of Progress: Microsoft Semantic Kernel Turns One

Evan Chaki

March 19th, 20241 4

It’s been a whirlwind of a year since Microsoft Semantic Kernel made its debut. As we celebrate Semantic Kernel’s first birthday, it presents us with an opportunity to look back at the strides made and the community that’s joined us on this trailblazing journey. From the very beginning, we aimed to reshape how app developers interact with AI, and the response has exceeded our wildest expectations.

In reflecting on the milestones, we’ve achieved together, it’s important to highlight some key metrics:

Since the public GitHub repo launch date (March 17th, 2023), the response has been outstanding with more than:
- 17,000+ stars on the repo
- 840,000+ NuGet downloads of the C# kernel
- 23,000+ downloads of our VS Code Extension
- 5,000+ members who have joined our Discord community, creating a robust forum for discussion and support.
Product advancement has been significant with:
- The .Net kernel reaching a 1.0 release.
- The Python and Java kernels are hot on its heels with 1.0 Release Candidates now available.

As we anchor in the present and chart the course for the year to come, we’re excited to highlight what’s next:

Our Spring 2024 roadmap has been announced and is brimming with future developments.
Anticipation is building for Microsoft BUILD in May, where we have some exciting news in store.
Over the next few weeks and months, we’ll be sharing customer stories that shine a light on how the Semantic Kernel and the Microsoft AI copilot stack are revolutionizing productivity.

In this moment of reflection, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the community. Every star, download, and piece of feedback has been catalysts for our growth and SDK ease of use. Especially, we can’t overstate how invaluable community contributions and PRs have been in reaching 1.0 milestones quickly.

The journey doesn’t end here, and we want you to be a part of what comes next. Get involved by joining our Discord, engaging with our GitHub, and let’s keep building something special together. With each update, new release, and community insight, we’re sculpting the future of AI in app development.

Happy coding, and here’s to another year of innovation and community with Microsoft Semantic Kernel.