The shift from "build everything" to "compose intelligently" is rewriting how developers and enterprises build and ship AI products.

At Build 2025, Microsoft unveiled data that should make every alliance leader rethink their AI distribution strategy.

A recent study shows that developers using MSFT Marketplace for AI development achieve up to 80% reduction in integration efforts and 60% faster time-to-value (GigaOm). Even more striking: onboarding times compress from 6 months to mere days.

Felipe Ospina, Principal PM for Microsoft Marketplace, framed the transformation:

"Through the marketplace, you can access a full stack of AI applications from models and agents... deploying directly from Azure with the security and governance that Azure provides."

Microsoft also has evolved the marketplace from a destination to infrastructure. Solutions now surface exactly where developers (and customers) work – within Microsoft Azure portal, AI Foundry and their other products.

This shifts the model from "go shopping for solutions" to "solutions are here when you need them."

The demo showed why developers are flocking to this approach

Within minutes, a developer deployed Cohere's LLM and Pinecone's database directly from Azure AI Foundry – no infrastructure setup, no maintenance overhead. The marketplace handles authentication, billing, and governance seamlessly through existing Azure environments.

This shows the collapse of traditional procurement barriers. Developers can prototype with credit cards, then scale through enterprise agreements or work with System integrators. Marketplace handles all of that (plus eligible purchases count toward existing MACC customer consumption commits).

What this means for Cloud GTM leaders:

Rethink distribution

If developers can discover and deploy your AI solution in minutes via marketplace vs months, how does that change your GTM?

Enable composability

Position your solutions as building blocks that integrate with other marketplace offerings (LLMs, databases, data tools).

Leverage in-product discovery

Your solution now appears where developers work: Azure portal, AI Foundry, even VS Code via Copilot recommendations.

Simplify commercial models

Support multiple purchase paths: free trials, PAYG, enterprise contracts

The implications run deeper than convenience, when deployment friction approaches zero:

• Enterprises and devs can experiment with best-of-breed AI products without massive integration projects.

• ISVs can reach developers at the exact moment of need.

Will “marketplace-first” become the default for enterprise AI?