List of the Top 7 AI Models for Azure AI Foundry in 2025

DeepSeek-R1 represents a state-of-the-art open-source reasoning model developed by DeepSeek, designed to rival OpenAI's Model o1. Accessible through web, app, and API platforms, it demonstrates exceptional skills in intricate tasks such as mathematics and programming, achieving notable success on exams like the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) and MATH. This model employs a mixture of experts (MoE) architecture, featuring an astonishing 671 billion parameters, of which 37 billion are activated for every token, enabling both efficient and accurate reasoning capabilities. As part of DeepSeek's commitment to advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI), this model highlights the significance of open-source innovation in the realm of AI. Additionally, its sophisticated features have the potential to transform our methodologies in tackling complex challenges across a variety of fields, paving the way for novel solutions and advancements. The influence of DeepSeek-R1 may lead to a new era in how we understand and utilize AI for problem-solving.

Mistral AI has unveiled the Mistral Large 2, an advanced AI model engineered to perform exceptionally well across various fields, including code generation, multilingual comprehension, and complex reasoning tasks. Boasting a remarkable 128k context window, this model supports a vast selection of languages such as English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, as well as more than 80 programming languages. Tailored for high-throughput single-node inference, Mistral Large 2 is ideal for applications that demand substantial context management. Its outstanding performance on benchmarks like MMLU, alongside enhanced abilities in code generation and reasoning, ensures both precision and effectiveness in outcomes. Moreover, the model is equipped with improved function calling and retrieval functionalities, which are especially advantageous for intricate business applications. This versatility positions Mistral Large 2 as a formidable asset for developers and enterprises eager to harness cutting-edge AI technologies for innovative solutions, ultimately driving efficiency and productivity in their operations.

Mistral Small 3.1 is an advanced, multimodal, and multilingual AI model that has been made available under the Apache 2.0 license. Building upon the previous Mistral Small 3, this updated version showcases improved text processing abilities and enhanced multimodal understanding, with the capacity to handle an extensive context window of up to 128,000 tokens. It outperforms comparable models like Gemma 3 and GPT-4o Mini, reaching remarkable inference rates of 150 tokens per second. Designed for versatility, Mistral Small 3.1 excels in various applications, including instruction adherence, conversational interaction, visual data interpretation, and executing functions, making it suitable for both commercial and individual AI uses. Its efficient architecture allows it to run smoothly on hardware configurations such as a single RTX 4090 or a Mac with 32GB of RAM, enabling on-device operations. Users have the option to download the model from Hugging Face and explore its features via Mistral AI's developer playground, while it is also embedded in services like Google Cloud Vertex AI and accessible on platforms like NVIDIA NIM. This extensive flexibility empowers developers to utilize its advanced capabilities across a wide range of environments and applications, thereby maximizing its potential impact in the AI landscape. Furthermore, Mistral Small 3.1's innovative design ensures that it remains adaptable to future technological advancements.

OpenAI's Image Generation API, powered by the gpt-image-1 model, enables developers and businesses to effortlessly integrate high-quality image creation features into their applications and services. This model exhibits exceptional versatility, allowing it to generate images in various artistic styles while faithfully following detailed instructions, drawing from an extensive knowledge base, and accurately representing text, thereby unlocking a multitude of practical applications across different industries. Many prominent companies and innovative startups in sectors such as creative software, e-commerce, education, enterprise solutions, and gaming are already harnessing image generation within their products. It provides creators with the flexibility to delve into a wide array of visual styles and concepts. Users can generate and customize images through simple prompts, refining styles, adding or subtracting elements, expanding backgrounds, and much more, significantly enriching the creative workflow. This functionality not only stimulates innovation but also promotes teamwork among groups aiming for visual brilliance, paving the way for new opportunities in design and artistic expression. Ultimately, the API represents a transformative tool that enhances the way individuals and organizations approach image creation.

Phi-4 is an innovative small language model (SLM) with 14 billion parameters, demonstrating remarkable proficiency in complex reasoning tasks, especially in the realm of mathematics, in addition to standard language processing capabilities. Being the latest member of the Phi series of small language models, Phi-4 exemplifies the strides we can make as we push the horizons of SLM technology. Currently, it is available on Azure AI Foundry under a Microsoft Research License Agreement (MSRLA) and will soon be launched on Hugging Face. With significant enhancements in methodologies, including the use of high-quality synthetic datasets and meticulous curation of organic data, Phi-4 outperforms both similar and larger models in mathematical reasoning challenges. This model not only showcases the continuous development of language models but also underscores the important relationship between the size of a model and the quality of its outputs. As we forge ahead in innovation, Phi-4 serves as a powerful example of our dedication to advancing the capabilities of small language models, revealing both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in this field. Moreover, the potential applications of Phi-4 could significantly impact various domains requiring sophisticated reasoning and language comprehension.

Microsoft has unveiled Muse, a groundbreaking generative AI model that is set to revolutionize how gameplay ideas are conceived. Collaborating with Ninja Theory, this World and Human Action Model (WHAM) utilizes data from the game Bleeding Edge, enabling it to understand 3D game environments along with the complexities of physics and player dynamics. This proficiency empowers Muse to produce diverse and coherent gameplay sequences, thereby enhancing the creative workflow for developers. Furthermore, the AI possesses the ability to craft game visuals while predicting controller inputs, thus facilitating a more efficient prototyping and artistic exploration phase in game development. By analyzing over 1 billion images and actions, Muse not only demonstrates its promise for game creation but also for the preservation of gaming history, as it has the ability to resurrect classic titles for modern platforms. Even though it is currently in its early stages and produces outputs at a resolution of 300×180 pixels, Muse represents a significant advancement in utilizing AI to aid in game development, aiming to boost human creativity rather than replace it. As Muse continues to develop, it may pave the way for groundbreaking innovations in gaming and the resurgence of cherished classic games, potentially reshaping the entire gaming landscape.

Magma is a state-of-the-art multimodal AI foundation model that represents a major advancement in AI research, allowing for seamless interaction with both digital and physical environments. This Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model excels at understanding visual and textual inputs and can generate actions, such as clicking buttons or manipulating real-world objects. By training on diverse datasets, Magma can generalize to new tasks and environments, unlike traditional models tailored to specific use cases. Researchers have demonstrated that Magma outperforms previous models in tasks like UI navigation and robotic manipulation, while also competing favorably with popular vision-language models trained on much larger datasets. As an adaptable and flexible AI agent, Magma paves the way for more capable, general-purpose assistants that can operate in dynamic real-world scenarios.