On the 19th of may 2025 Microsoft has unveiled a shift in software development at Microsoft Build 2025: Agentic DevOps. This new approach, powered by intelligent agents in GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Azure, promises to revolutionize the entire software development lifecycle, from planning and coding to deployment and maintenance.
From code completion to intelligent collaboration
Since its launch, GitHub Copilot has become an indispensable tool for over 15 million developers, accelerating code writing and boosting productivity. But Microsoft’s latest announcement signals a leap beyond simple code suggestions. The new wave of “agentic workflows” introduces AI-powered agents that collaborate not just with developers, but with each other, to automate and optimize every stage of software creation.
What is Agentic DevOps?
Agentic DevOps represents the next evolution of DevOps, where AI agents act as tireless teammates, handling everything from bug fixes and documentation to code reviews and app modernization. This means developers can focus on creative, high-impact work, while agents manage the repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
Key features announced
- Agent mode:
An enhanced Copilot experience that tackles complex, multi-step coding tasks. Agent Mode can analyze entire codebases, edit across multiple files, generate and run tests, fix bugs, and even suggest terminal commands, all from a single prompt. It’s now available in popular editors like VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Eclipse, and Xcode. - New coding agent:
The latest Copilot agent acts as a true peer on your team. Assign it tasks such as code reviews, test writing, bug fixing, or implementing full specs. It collaborates with other agents to address complex challenges, with every change audited and reviewed before shipping. - App modernization capabilities:
Copilot now assists with legacy code modernization, handling code assessments, dependency updates, and remediation for Java, .NET, and soon, mainframe applications. It automates update plans, giving developers full visibility and control, and helps teams crush technical debt. - Azure Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Agent:
A new SRE agent for Azure monitors production systems 24/7, responds to incidents in real time, and autonomously troubleshoots issues. It supports Azure Kubernetes Service, App Service, serverless, and databases, logging remediation actions as GitHub issues for complete traceability.
Open sourcing GitHub Copilot in VS Code
In a major move for transparency and community-driven innovation, Microsoft is open-sourcing the GitHub Copilot extension for Visual Studio Code. This allows the developer community to contribute directly to the evolution of AI-assisted development, ensuring the tools remain relevant and effective.
Why this matters
Agentic DevOps is more than just automation, it’s about restoring the “joy” of software development. By offloading mundane tasks, developers can focus on innovation and creativity. With agents handling the grind, teams can move from idea to production in record time, reduce technical debt, and maintain resilient, secure applications.
Looking ahead
Microsoft’s vision is clear: the agent-powered future of software development will be as transformative as the shift to the cloud. Developers remain at the center, orchestrating a symphony of intelligent agents, and unlocking new levels of productivity and satisfaction.
