Leveraging Microsoft Azure AI and global cloud services, Agora has built an efficient and secure real-time audio and video communication network, enabling real-time translation in over 140 languages with low latency.
How does Agora use Microsoft Azure AI to improve real-time communication?
Agora uses Microsoft Azure AI and the Azure global cloud platform as the backbone of its real-time audio and video communication network. By building on Azure’s worldwide infrastructure, Agora can:
- Run a secure, compliant real-time communication network that respects different data regulations across countries and regions.
- Store and transmit data in a way that meets local compliance requirements, which was a key challenge during its international expansion.
- Take advantage of Azure’s global network optimization to keep end-to-end latency down to milliseconds, even for cross-regional audio and video traffic.
On top of this infrastructure, Agora integrates Azure OpenAI and other Azure AI services to reimagine how users interact in real time. These capabilities help Agora deliver more intelligent, interactive, and stable experiences to customers around the world, while also speeding up internal product development and iteration.
What multilingual and AI features does Agora offer with Azure?
By integrating Microsoft Azure AI services, Agora has significantly expanded its multilingual and AI-powered interaction capabilities:
- Using Azure Speech Services for speech-to-text and text-to-speech, Agora supports real-time translation in over 140 languages, including a wide range of accents and dialects.
- This real-time translation runs with low latency, so cross-border conversations feel natural and interactive rather than delayed.
- With Azure OpenAI embedded in its Foundry Tools, Agora enhances multimodal customer interactions, combining voice, text, and other inputs to create more intelligent experiences.
These capabilities help Agora customers rethink how they connect global users—whether that’s live events, customer support, education, or collaboration—by making multilingual, AI-assisted communication part of the core experience rather than an add-on.
How has the Microsoft partnership impacted Agora’s global growth and operations?
The collaboration with Microsoft Azure AI has had several measurable impacts on Agora’s global business and operations:
- Global reach: Agora expanded its service coverage from 80 countries and regions to more than 200, supported by Azure’s global cloud infrastructure.
- Compliance and security: By building on Azure’s global platform, Agora achieved international data security certifications and can meet diverse compliance requirements across markets.
- Performance: Microsoft’s global network optimization helps Agora keep product latency at the millisecond level, improving the stability and quality of real-time audio and video, even in regions with less reliable networks.
- AI-driven innovation: Integrating Azure OpenAI and using GitHub Copilot across the software development lifecycle has shortened Agora’s product iteration cycles and improved development efficiency.
- Financial milestone: In 2024, Agora reached its first GAAP profitability, reflecting not only technology gains but also a successful shift toward an AI-driven real-time interaction platform.
Looking ahead, Agora plans to continue working with the Microsoft AI portfolio to explore new real-time engagement scenarios, from large-model-powered voice interactions to more seamless global communication experiences.