AI-900 Is Retired: AI-900 vs AI-901 and What Changed in Azure AI Fundamentals
AI-900 retired on June 30, 2026, and AI-901 replaced it. If you already passed AI-900, your Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals certification is still valid and never expires. If you book the exam today, you take AI-901, which costs the same $99 in the US but asks for more: basic Python and hands-on work in Microsoft Foundry.
That last part matters. AI-901 is not AI-900 with refreshed service names. AI-900 was five conceptual domains you could pass by knowing which Azure service did which job. AI-901 has two domains, and 55 to 60 percent of it is hands-on implementation in Microsoft Foundry, including reading Python. If you have been studying with AI-900 material, part of it no longer maps to the exam. Here is exactly what changed, taken from Microsoft’s skills outlines for both exams.
AI-900 at a glance
| AI-900 status | Retired June 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central time |
|---|---|
| Replaced by | AI-901: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals |
| Certification | Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (not retired; it now requires AI-901) |
| Does an AI-900 certification expire? | No. Fundamentals certifications don’t expire, and Microsoft says existing holders need to take no action. |
| AI-901 price | $99 in the US; priced by country (for example £64 in the UK, €76 in Germany, ₹3,691 in India) |
| Exam time | 45 minutes, Microsoft’s standard for Fundamentals exams |
| Passing score | 700 out of 1,000 |
| Coding | AI-900: none. AI-901: basic Python syntax, plus familiarity with Azure resources |
| AI-901 skills measured as of | April 15, 2026 |
| Free official practice | Microsoft’s practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator (sign-in required) |
Checked against Microsoft Learn’s AI-900 and AI-901 exam pages and study guides, the Azure AI Fundamentals certification page, Microsoft’s exam pricing and its Skills Hub post on the AI-901 change on October 8, 2026.
Is my AI-900 certification still valid?
Yes, permanently. Microsoft retired the AI-900 exam, not the Azure AI Fundamentals certification. Microsoft says that if you already hold the certification, no action is required, and that taking AI-901 would not change the name of your existing credential. Fundamentals certifications don’t expire, so there is nothing to renew.
You can still take AI-901 to show the newer Foundry and Python skills, but it’s optional and you pay for it. On your resume, list it as Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) with the year you earned it.
AI-900 vs AI-901 side by side
| AI-900 (retired) | AI-901 (current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Retired June 30, 2026 | The exam you take now |
| Who it’s for | Nontechnical or technical beginners | Technical beginners who plan to build AI solutions |
| Domains | Five conceptual areas | Two areas |
| Hands-on weight | None. Concept recognition | 55 to 60% Foundry implementation |
| Coding expected | No | Yes. Microsoft’s audience profile asks for Python coding syntax and programming techniques |
| Also expected | Awareness of basic cloud concepts and client-server applications | Familiarity with Azure resources, REST APIs, SDKs and CLIs |
| Center of gravity | “Which Azure service does this?” | “Build this in Foundry” |
| Format | Roughly 40 to 60 questions, 45 minutes | Same |
| Passing score | 700 / 1000 | Same |
| Price (US) | $99 | $99 (unchanged) |
| Skills outline dated | May 2, 2025 (final version) | April 15, 2026 |
The structural change
AI-900 had five conceptual domains. Here is where each one went:
| AI-900 domain (retired) | Weight | Where it went in AI-901 |
|---|---|---|
| Describe AI workloads and considerations | 15–20% | Identify AI concepts and capabilities, including the six responsible AI principles |
| Describe fundamental principles of machine learning on Azure | 15–20% | Mostly gone. How generative models work, choosing a model and its configuration parameters take its place |
| Describe features of computer vision workloads on Azure | 15–20% | Both domains: identify vision and image-generation capabilities, then build with them in Foundry |
| Describe features of Natural Language Processing (NLP) workloads on Azure | 15–20% | Both domains: text analysis and speech concepts, then text and speech apps in Foundry |
| Describe features of generative AI workloads on Azure | 20–25% | Both domains: generative and agentic AI concepts, then apps and agents in Foundry |
AI-901 has two domains:
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Identify AI concepts and capabilities | 40 to 45% |
| Implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry | 55 to 60% |
Read that second row again. The majority of the exam is now implementation. That single line is the difference between a study plan that works and one that does not.
What “hands-on” actually means here
The implementation domain breaks into four areas, all built on Microsoft Foundry (which AI-900 material may call by its former name, Azure AI Foundry):
Generative AI apps and agents. Writing effective system and user prompts. Deploying a model and working with it in the Foundry portal. Building a lightweight chat client with the Foundry SDK. Creating and testing a single-agent solution. Building a client application for an agent.
Text and speech. Building a lightweight application that includes text analysis. Responding to spoken prompts with a deployed multimodal model. Building an application using Azure Speech in Foundry Tools.
Computer vision and image generation. Interpreting visual input in prompts using a multimodal model. Creating new visual outputs with generative models. Building an application with vision capabilities.
Information extraction. Extracting information from documents and forms using Azure Content Understanding in Foundry Tools. Extracting from images, audio, and video. Building an application with extraction capabilities.
Notice how many of those bullets start with “build”. You are expected to look at code and understand what it does.
What is gone
If your study material spends significant time on these, it was written for AI-900. Each was a named objective in the final AI-900 outline and is not named in AI-901’s:
- Regression, classification, and clustering scenarios
- Features and labels, and how training and validation datasets are used
- Azure Machine Learning capabilities, including automated machine learning
- Facial detection and analysis with the Azure AI Face service
- Service-by-service objectives such as “describe the capabilities of the Azure AI Language service”
These can still appear as background concepts, but they are no longer where the exam lives.
What stayed
The six responsible AI principles are still there and still worth easy points: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. Workload identification survived too, folded into the concepts domain along with text analysis techniques, speech recognition and synthesis, computer vision, and information extraction scenarios. Model configuration is a bigger deal now: AI-901 asks you to identify deployment options and configuration parameters, so know what settings such as temperature and maximum tokens do.
Is AI-900 still worth it?
You can’t take AI-900 anymore, so for new candidates the real question is whether AI-901 is worth $99. If you already hold AI-900, it still counts: it is the same Azure AI Fundamentals certification, it never expires, and Microsoft doesn’t ask you to retest. Take AI-901 as well only if you want proof of hands-on Foundry and Python skills.
If you’re starting fresh, AI-901 asks more of you than AI-900 did, and that is the point: it shows you can build, not just describe. Is Azure AI Fundamentals worth it? covers who it pays off for, and the AI-901 exam cost guide has the full price breakdown.
Studying with AI-900 material? Three quick checks
- Search it for “Foundry.” If Microsoft Foundry is not a major, repeated topic, the material is for the old exam.
- Search it for “Python.” AI-901 expects you to read code. If there is no code anywhere, over half the exam is missing.
- Search it for “Content Understanding.” It is its own sub-domain on AI-901 and was not a focus on AI-900.
You can also go straight to the source. Microsoft publishes the official skills outline with a “skills measured as of” date at the top. For AI-901 that date is April 15, 2026. Anything that predates the change, or that was never rechecked against it, is suspect.
Then switch to AI-901 resources: Microsoft’s self-paced course AI-901: Introduction to AI in Azure, its free practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator, our AI-901 study guide and the AI-901 study plan.
Where our own question bank stands
Our free AI-901 practice questions are original questions written from Microsoft’s current AI-901 skills outline, not the AI-900 one. They cover both domains, including Foundry implementation, agents, multimodal models and Content Understanding, with plain-English explanations.
We also run an automated watcher that checks every certification we cover against its vendor’s published outline and flags us when something changes. Vendors refresh exams on their own schedule and rarely announce it loudly, so “when was this last checked against the source?” is worth asking about any study material, ours included.
The short version
- AI-900 retired June 30, 2026. AI-901 replaced it.
- An AI-900 you already earned is still valid and never expires.
- It is a replacement, not a refresh. Two domains instead of five.
- 55 to 60 percent is hands-on Microsoft Foundry implementation.
- You need to be able to read Python.
- Foundry, agents, multimodal models, and Content Understanding are the new center of gravity.
- Regression, clustering, and Azure Machine Learning are not.
Check the date on whatever you are studying. It matters more this year than it usually does.
Prep for the exam you are actually taking
Free AI-901 practice questions vetted against Microsoft’s current outline: Foundry implementation, real Python, agents, and Content Understanding, with plain-English explanations. No sign-up needed.
Keep reading: How to pass AI-901 · Not sure Azure is even your lane? See AWS AI Practitioner vs Azure AI Fundamentals: which should you take first? · Ready for the next level? AI-901 vs AI-103 · or compare your options in Which AI Certification Should You Get?
HOW TO // AI is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. Azure AI Fundamentals, AI-900, and AI-901 are certifications and trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; we reference them descriptively.
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Related guides
- Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Study Guide & Cheat Sheet
- Azure AI Fundamentals Practice Questions
- How to Pass AI-901: A 2-Week, Day-by-Day Study Plan
- Is Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Worth It in 2026? An Honest Look
- Microsoft AI Certifications in 2026: The New Path, Explained
Frequently asked questions
Is AI-900 retired?
Yes. Microsoft retired the AI-900 exam on June 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM Central time. AI-901 replaced it, and you now need to pass AI-901 to earn Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals.
Is my AI-900 certification still valid?
Yes. Microsoft retired the exam, not the Azure AI Fundamentals certification, and Fundamentals certifications don't expire. Microsoft says existing holders don't need to take any action.
What replaced AI-900?
AI-901: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals. It earns the same certification and costs the same $99 in the US, but adds basic Python and hands-on work in Microsoft Foundry.
Is AI-900 still worth it?
You can't take AI-900 anymore. If you hold it, it still counts on your resume because the certification never expires. If you are starting now, the question is whether AI-901 is worth $99 to you.
What is the difference between AI-900 and AI-901?
AI-900 had five conceptual domains and needed no coding. AI-901 has two: Identify AI concepts and capabilities (40–45%) and Implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry (55–60%), and it expects basic Python and familiarity with Azure resources.
Is AI-901 harder than AI-900?
It asks for more technical skill. It is still a Fundamentals exam with 700 out of 1,000 to pass, but over half of it covers building with Microsoft Foundry: prompts, model deployment, the Foundry SDK, agents, speech, vision and Content Understanding.
Do I need to take AI-901 if I already have AI-900?
No. Microsoft says AI-900 holders need to take no action, and passing AI-901 would not change the name of your credential. Take it only if you want to show the newer Foundry and Python skills.
How much does the AI-901 exam cost?
$99 in the US, priced by country, for example £64 in the UK, €76 in Germany and ₹3,691 in India, before tax. You need 700 out of 1,000 to pass, and the certification never expires.
