By Steven Vaughan-Nichols
Publication Date: 2026-06-04 12:59:00
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Microsoft is becoming more of a Linux company.
- Linux now spans Azure, Windows, and AI workstations.
- AI is pushing Microsoft deeper into Linux.
Microsoft Build 2026 was not Steve “Linux is a cancer” Ballmer’s Build. Instead, Microsoft announced the arrival of Azure Linux 4.0, a general-purpose Linux server, Azure Container Linux, Windows 11 customized for developers that incorporates Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a high-end AI workstation that comes preconfigured with WSL 2, native GPU passthrough, and full Nvidia CUDA support.
Also: Microsoft surprises with its first server Linux distribution: Azure Linux 4.0
Why? Besides the demand for Linux on the server and cloud — today Linux is the most popular operating system on Azure — AI development runs on Linux. There are no competitors. It’s that simple. If you want to program AI, you’re doing it on…