Microsoft’s annual developer conference, Build 2018 begins today (May 7, 2018) at 8:30 am and finishes on May 9, 2018, at Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA. To watch Microsoft Build 2018 Livestream, simply register yourself on the Microsoft website or create a LinkedIn account and catch all the event actions free.
Build 2018 event will kick start with a vision keynote from CEO Satya Nadella who will speak on“Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge”. The Operating Systems Head Joe Belfiore will deliver a speech on the technological aspect –“Microsoft 365: A powerful development platform”. Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Group, will put a focus on the company’s cloud computing platform, Microsoft Azure.

Microsoft Gaming Community. Source: Microsoft
Microsoft Build 2018 Livestream Feature
Microsoft Build 2018 starts live streaming sharp at 8:30 a.m. PT Monday, May 7 with a keynote. While registering for Microsoft Build 2018 Livestream, viewers can access keynotes from all the Microsoft speakers. The developers can follow Microsoft Build 2018 announcements on the future of technology live. Expect a lot of updates on AI, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, App Development and more innovative products.
The registration for Build 2018 lets you customize the entire digital experience as you get access to the requisite session content quickly and view any session any time. The global developer community will also get an opportunity to network with each other and Microsoft professionals.
What to Expect from Microsoft Build 2018
Build 2018 comprises of over 350 sessions covering topics like AI, cloud computing, internet of things, Windows 10 and Microsoft 365, web designing and data security. Let’s sneak peek into what to expect from Microsoft Build 2018 and predict the Microsoft roadmap of the future.
Microsoft Version of AI
We are going to hear a lot about the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in every Microsoft technology, service, and app during this event. Microsoft is leading in the Enterprise Cloud platform and it is determined to empower the cloud computing platform, Azure. So expect a lot of talk on .NET ranging from its current state to its unbelievable growth rate and its new features.
The virtual assistant Cortana is gradually becoming smarter compared to its rival Siri. The recent update in Windows 10 lets developers build the application using pre-trained AI routines. Generally, Nadella has always been interested in talking about cloud services over the operating system, Windows. He envisions a long future in the AI capabilities and one can expect surprising AI- related announcement during Build 2018. We would love to hear on the integration of Cortana with Amazon Alexa.

CEO Satya Nadella at Build. Source: Microsoft
Windows Mixed Reality
Dying to hear anything on Windows Mixed Reality! During Build, Microsoft can encourage developers to create their apps running on Mixed Reality devices. However, the company has maintained a consistent silence on this segment. Even the falling price of headsets indicates that Mixed Reality has not performed as expected.
Likewise, Microsoft may also talk about HoloLens– applications to unite real and virtual worlds. The company is constantly working on the applications experimented in the real environment such as warehouses, factories, and event spaces.
Windows 10
The April update in Windows 10 doesn’t signify that there is no scope for further updates. The new feature, Timeline in Windows 10 lets you sync Edge app on multiple operating systems and there is a big room for improvements. The release of Redstone 5 is much awaited and a new Control Centre is in the pipeline.
Expect the progress report on Fluent Design interface and Cloud Clipboard program for cutting and pasting across devices. Perhaps this year we can see Windows Sets feature to appear on Windows platform, which is in beta stage since a year. This feature combines apps, data and sites in tabs.
Another feature designed specifically for developers is Microsoft Graph. The developers can take advantage of this to create applications that are better performing, resilient, and reliable. The company has added a new API to Microsoft Graph to fortify cybersecurity.

Microsoft HoloLens. Source: Microsoft
Microsoft Build Workshops
Unlike Google, Apple and Facebook, Microsoft annual developer conference feature sessions of the company’s executives and engineers as well as workshops for the developers. During the instructor-led workshop, developers will learn live coding on the latest technology. The firsthand knowledge about debugging in Visual Studio 2017, designing customer-facing app using Azure AD and VS, launching an app on Store, securing database on Azure SQL Database will let developers focus on creating efficient and secured apps.
Annual Windows Developer Awards
The event expects participation of approximately 6000 developers. The full conference participation fee is $2,495. Correspondingly, Microsoft’s annual developer conference collides with Google’s two-day I/O event starting on May 8.
Meanwhile, Microsoft will announce winners of second annual Windows Developer Awards 2018 during Build 2018. The awards are divided into four categories – Application Creator of the Year, Game Creator of the Year, Reality Mixer of the Year, and Design Innovator of the Year. The winners are selected on the basis of votes given to the nominees in the selected category.