AI Build & Publish for Marketplace: how software companies get up to $80K for publishing an AI offer
Updated 6 Nov 2026 · FY27 (1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027) · Reviewed by an ex-Microsoft team member
The short answer. AI Build & Publish pays up to $80,000 in cash for putting AI into your software and publishing it on Microsoft Marketplace. You qualify with more than $100,000 of Marketplace billed sales or a $1 million Azure commitment. Your offer must run mainly on Azure and use at least one AI service plus one app or data service.
In plain words. Add AI to your product, sell it through Marketplace, and Microsoft pays you for it. In return, you commit to a sales target for the year ahead. It is real income that lands in your bank, not credit.
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Does this apply to you?
Probably yes, if:
- You already sell a SaaS product and have added, or are adding, AI to it.
- Your offer runs mainly on Azure.
- You have more than $100,000 of Marketplace billed sales, or a $1 million Azure commitment.
- You are enrolled in Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace (free).
Not yet, if you are under $100,000 of billed sales. Move renewals you already invoice directly through Marketplace to pass that line. The customers and amounts stay the same, only the billing changes.
Probably not, if your product runs mainly outside Azure. The offer has to run mainly on Azure.
Which Azure services count?
You need at least one AI service, plus one app or data service.
- AI (at least one): Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure Machine Learning, Copilot Studio, Power Automate, Speech, Vision.
- App: AKS, Container Apps, App Service, Azure Red Hat OpenShift, Spring Apps, GitHub Copilot, GitHub Actions, Codespaces.
- Or data: Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Azure SQL, Synapse, Databricks, Purview, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI Premium.
Power BI only counts if there is AI and analytics use on top.
What does it pay?
The payment is sized by the Marketplace sales you plan for year one.
- XXS: $15K to $45K planned, 120 days, paid $4,000
- XS: $45K to $150K, 120 days, paid $16,000
- S: $150K to $300K, 120 days, paid $24,000
- M: $300K to $750K, 200 days, paid $48,000
- L: more than $750K, 260 days, paid $80,000
Amounts are for Microsoft's Market A countries. Market B countries are paid 80%, except the smallest size.
What does it mean for you as a CEO?
A company that plans $200,000 of Marketplace sales for the year ahead falls in band S and is paid $24,000. In the guide's example, a 40-person company crosses $100,000 late in its first year, publishes the AI it had already built, and is paid $24,000 in cash.
The trade is simple: cash now, against a sales target you commit to. Before you sign up, ask what happens if you miss the target, and get the answer in writing.
How to claim it
- Nominate yourself, with a partner survey.
- Deliver the project and collect your proof.
- Submit the claim in Partner Center with: the partner survey, a claim invoice in USD, your solution architecture showing the services, and your Marketplace listing link.
- Get paid. Microsoft checks the proof for up to 30 days, then pays within 45.
What changed from FY26?
Last year, certification was needed for the funded AI build. In FY27 it is sales instead: $100,000 of billed sales or a $1 million Azure commitment.
Frequently asked questions
How much does AI Build & Publish pay?
Between $4,000 and $80,000 in cash, depending on the Marketplace sales you plan for year one.
Do I need a certification?
No. In FY27 you need sales ($100,000 of billed sales) or a $1 million Azure commitment instead.
Does my product have to run on Azure?
Your offer must run mainly on Azure, and use one AI service plus one app or data service.
Is it a grant?
No. It comes with a sales target you commit to hit. Ask what happens if you miss it.
Is it the same for AI agents?
No. Agents published in the Copilot Agent Store have their own incentive, sized by monthly users.
Want the full picture?
Everything here is also in our complete guide to Microsoft FY27 Marketplace incentives, with plain-words notes for newcomers. Get the complete FY27 guide
Not sure which incentive fits your company?
Ask for your free Microsoft Incentives Assessment: a personalized report of every incentive your company can claim, what each is worth, and the order to claim them. Free, no obligation. No Partner Center login needed to start. Ask for your free Assessment
The other FY27 incentives
- Azure sponsorship
- AI Build & Publish for the Agent Store
- Customer Assessment & POV
- Customer Migrate & Modernize
- Co-sell in FY27
Based on Microsoft's FY27 Partner Investments material and the Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace pages on Microsoft Learn. Microsoft may change its programs at any time, and every payout needs Microsoft's approval. Amounts are in USD.
