Session Abstract

Cloud AI isn't always the best place to start. With Foundry Local, developers can build, test, and optimize AI applications entirely on their own machines before seamlessly moving to Microsoft Foundry when it's time to scale. In this demo-driven session, I will show how to install and configure Foundry Local, discover and manage local models, and build AI applications that can switch between local and cloud models with minimal changes. We'll also cover topics such as GPU acceleration and ONNX optimization, helping you understand how they improve performance in local AI workloads. Whether you're experimenting with generative AI or building enterprise-ready solutions, you'll leave with practical knowledge, best practices, and the confidence to start developing AI locally.

Håkan Silfvernagel

Håkan holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Leadership and Organizational behavior. He has also taken courses on university level in psychology, interaction design and human-computer interaction. He has 20 years’ experience of software development in various positions such as developer, tester, architect, project manager, scrum master, practice manager and team lead. Håkan is Chairman of the Norwegian .NET User Group Oslo (NNUG) and is active as an Ambassador for Oslo AI, the local chapter for the global City.AI community. In addition, he is the co-founder of AI42, an online school for learning about AI and Data Science and the Azure User Group Sweden, a meetup focused on Azure. Håkan is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in AI and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. Currently Håkan is working as AI Evangelist at Sopra Steria.