Microsoft Build 2025 updates for .NET developers
Ted's Tech, May 23rd 2025
Microsoft Build 2025 has wrapped up and I’ve done my best to find something, anything, that might be of interest to .NET/C# developers. It really was tough.
Azure AI Foundry Local
One significant announcement is Azure Foundry Local. Think of it as a mini-version of Ollama, allowing you to run AI models locally. It's designed to work seamlessly with Azure AI Foundry and even includes an SDK for C# (though it's not yet on NuGet). This means you can integrate AI capabilities directly into your C# and .NET applications, running models on your local machine, even with full Mac GPU support. Imagine asking a question like, "Is .NET and C# cool and popular?" and getting an AI-powered "Yes!" from your local setup just to help alleviate your anxiety.
It provides a fully OpenAI Chat Completion API compatible local endpoint when you run it, so you can actually point existing apps (assuming you can change the model name) at it and get started.
The docs are here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/azure/ai-foundry/foundry-local/get-started
.NET Aspire rolls on to 9.3
No Blazor, MVC, Razor Pages or any other content really - just .NET Aspire.
In a sign of insane irony, they’ve actually embedded GitHub Copilot into the Aspire Dashboard, which loops through the C# Dev Kit and the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code.
I know the KPIs at MS are brutal but this is really quite something.
Azure App Service: Faster, Cheaper, Better!
Now for something positive! Azure App Service is easily my favourite service on Azure that just keeps getting better. Microsoft announced a new service plan that promises significant improvements:
24% cost savings on Windows for better cost-performance.
Faster temporary storage.
A wider range of CPU and RAM options, from modest setups to massive 256GB configurations.
Finally, high availability with only two availability zones. This means you no longer need three nodes on your web tier to achieve a 99.99% SLA, potentially cutting a third off your App Service bills.
Most projects, and I do mean like over 90% of them, should be running on Azure App Service in my opinion. It really is that good.
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