Microsoft has introduced Project Solara, a chip-to-cloud platform for a new class of AI agent-first devices, at its Build 2026 developer conference. The platform comes with two reference device designs, a wearable badge and a desk unit, both of which require enterprise identity controls and Windows Hello for Business biometric authentication to operate.
Project Solara is built around the idea of devices designed for invoking AI agents rather than opening applications. Steven Bathiche, Corporate Vice President and Technical Fellow at Microsoft, framed the platform as a shift “from apps to agents, from software you open to intelligence you invoke,” with agents treated as both a programming unit and an interaction model. The platform rests on three pillars the company describes as enterprise-readiness, agent-driven interaction with adaptive interfaces, and extensibility for third-party agents.
The biometric access requirement is built into both reference designs. The portable badge concept, built on Qualcomm wearable silicon, includes a touchscreen and fingerprint authentication through Windows Hello for Business, along with a far-field microphone array, a side camera, and 5G connectivity, aimed at information workers and field personnel. The stationary desk concept, built on MediaTek silicon, uses facial recognition for authentication, adds an ultra-wideband presence sensor, and pairs with PCs over Bluetooth or external displays.
The enterprise controls are mandatory rather than optional. Devices on the platform include the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform, Intune mobile-device management, Entra ID integration, and Windows Hello for Business biometric authentication, the same identity and management stack Microsoft applies to managed Windows endpoints. That makes the biometric sign-in and the directory-based identity the gating layer for an agent device, binding each device to a managed enterprise identity before its agents can act.
Microsoft has built out its enterprise identity layer in adjacent areas, expanding passkey support across Entra and account recovery for passwordless sign-in. The reliance on Windows Hello for Business as the device-access mechanism also puts Project Solara on the same biometric foundation that has drawn scrutiny, including research into a Windows Hello biometric bypass that the company has worked to address.
Microsoft said private pilots are launching with CVS Health, Target, Best Buy, Levi’s, and AccuWeather, with Qualcomm and MediaTek as silicon partners. The reference designs are intended to let hardware makers build agent-first devices without rebuilding the underlying technology stack each time.
Sources: Microsoft
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
