AI-900 is now AI-901. Ethnus Codemithra article cover.

AI-900 is now AI-901: what changed and how to prepare

Codemithra Team

Codemithra Team

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Yes, Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals still exists, but the exam that earns it changed. Microsoft retired AI-900 on 30 June 2026 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time. Candidates must now pass AI-901 to earn this certification. If you registered expecting to sit AI-900 today, that exam is gone, not refreshed under the same code. Checked against the official Microsoft Learn certification pages on 8 September 2026.

The certification name and its badge did not change. Only the required exam field on the certification page switched from AI-900 to AI-901. Two dates matter here, and they answer different questions.

Microsoft last updated the English-language content of AI-901 on 15 April 2026. The AI-901 exam page shows this as a content-update date. Separately, Microsoft retired AI-900 on 30 June 2026. Do not treat 15 April 2026 as a retirement date. It is not one.

What actually changed: five domains become two

The final version of AI-900 took effect on 2 May 2025. It tested five domains, and none exceeded 25 percent in weight. Every domain used a descriptive verb: describe, identify. AI-901 collapses that into two domains, and the second domain asks candidates to implement, not just describe. The AI-901 study guide and the exam page list identical weights for both domains.

Exam Domain Weight
AI-900 (retired) AI workloads and considerations 15-20%
AI-900 (retired) Machine learning principles on Azure 15-20%
AI-900 (retired) Computer vision workloads on Azure 15-20%
AI-900 (retired) Natural language processing workloads on Azure 15-20%
AI-900 (retired) Generative AI workloads on Azure 20-25%
AI-901 (current) Identify AI concepts and capabilities 40-45%
AI-901 (current) Implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry 55-60%

The audience profile changed with it. The AI-900 study guide stated that data science and software engineering experience were not required. The AI-901 exam page now states that candidates also need knowledge of Python coding syntax and programming techniques. It adds that candidates should be familiar with Azure resources. That change is the clearest evidence of the shift from a describe-the-concepts exam to a build-something exam.

AI-900 domains become AI-901 domains. AI workloads and considerations (15-20%): Retired 30 June 2026. ML principles on Azure (15-20%): Retired 30 June 2026. Computer vision workloads (15-20%): Retired 30 June 2026. NLP workloads (15-20%): Retired 30 June 2026. Generative AI workloads (20-25%): Retired 30 June 2026. Identify AI concepts and capabilities (40-45%): Current, content as of 15 April 2026. Implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry (55-60%): Current, the larger and new hands-on domain
An Ethnus Codemithra rendering of the skills-measured lists Microsoft publishes for AI-900 and AI-901. Not an official Microsoft graphic.

Inside the new domain: implementing with Microsoft Foundry

The 55-60 percent domain is the largest single block on the exam, and it covers four sub-areas. The study guide names a concrete task under each one, quoted directly below.

Sub-area One task named in the study guide
Generative AI apps and agents Create a lightweight chat client application by using the Foundry SDK
Text and speech Build a lightweight application by using Azure Speech in Foundry Tools
Computer vision and image generation Create new visual outputs by using generative models
Information extraction Extract information from documents and forms by using Azure Content Understanding in Foundry Tools

Every task above names a tool candidates must touch, not just recognise. This shows why the audience profile now names Python. Deploying a model in the Foundry portal is one such activity. Building an SDK-based chat client is another. Testing an agent is a third. None of these are multiple-choice definitions.

How to prepare using what Microsoft actually publishes

Start with the two resources Microsoft links directly from the exam page. The AI-901 exam page points to a free study guide at aka.ms/AI901-StudyGuide. It also links a free exam sandbox that shows the exam experience before you register.

Be honest about a gap. Self-paced Microsoft Learn training modules written specifically for AI-901 are not confirmed as published at the time of writing. The named preparation path on the certification page is an instructor-led course, Introduction to AI in Azure (AI-901T00). If you relied on old AI-900 module links, expect some of them to no longer match the current objectives.

Practical exercise: build your own gap checklist

Named Learn modules for AI-901 are not confirmed to exist yet, so do not map the exam to them. Instead, use the structure the study guide already provides. Open the AI-901 study guide and list every skill bullet under both domains in one column.

In a second column, mark each bullet in one of two ways. Mark it as hands-on experience you already have, or as a gap to close before you register. This turns a five-minute read into a study plan you can act on today. You will not need to guess which self-paced course covers which bullet.

If you were studying for AI-900

Your situation What to do now
Mid-preparation for AI-900 with old material Switch to the AI-901 study guide and sandbox now. The old exam cannot be scheduled after 30 June 2026.
Already certified via AI-900 No exam action needed unless you are renewing. Renewal specifics follow Microsoft policy and are not addressed here.
Starting fresh Start with the two-domain breakdown in the AI-901 study guide and the AI-901T00 instructor-led course. No confirmed self-paced module exists yet.

You cannot book AI-900 after its retirement date. Anyone mid-preparation now needs the AI-901 objectives above, not the old five-domain list. This applies regardless of how far along the old study plan was.

Official Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals badge, published by Microsoft. The badge design is shared across the Fundamentals tier and did not change when the required exam moved from AI-900 to AI-901.
Official Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals badge, published by Microsoft. The badge design is shared across the Fundamentals tier and did not change between AI-900 and AI-901.

How this connects to Ethnus training

Codemithra does not currently list a dedicated Azure AI Fundamentals course. Its course listing names six programs, and none is Microsoft or Azure branded. The nearest touchpoint is the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials program. It now includes basics of Python and Gen AI in its curriculum.

These are the same two ingredients AI-901 newly names in its audience profile. That course also states expert-led mentoring sessions and ample labs and sandbox access with unlimited attempts. That hands-on-first model is what an implementation-heavy exam like AI-901 rewards, even on a different platform.

FAQ

Is AI-900 still valid to take?

No. Microsoft retired AI-900 on 30 June 2026, at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time, and replaced it with AI-901.

What is the single biggest content change?

The second domain moved from describing concepts to implementing them. It is now 55-60 percent of the exam and centres on Microsoft Foundry.

Do I need to know how to code for AI-901?

The AI-901 audience profile names knowledge of Python coding syntax and programming techniques explicitly. The AI-900 audience profile stated that data science and software engineering experience were not required.

Does my existing AI-900 certification stop working?

The certification name, Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals, and its badge did not change. This article does not state renewal terms for existing certificates. This research did not verify specific renewal guidance from Microsoft for AI-900 holders in the source pages used.

Where do I start preparing for AI-901?

Start with the free AI-901 study guide and the exam sandbox linked from the exam page. Then build the two-column checklist described above before you look for a course.

Build the Python and generative AI basics that AI-901 now expects with the AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials program from Ethnus Codemithra. Use its labs to practise applying concepts, not just recognising them.

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