Microsoft uses AI agents to rewrite Copilot runtime in Rust for $120,000

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Microsoft reportedly used agentic AI tooling to port its Copilot runtime codebase to the Rust programming language. The project was completed at a cost of approximately $120,000, according to a report by The Register published on September 18, 2026. The effort highlights a growing industry trend of using AI-assisted or autonomous coding agents for large-scale software migration tasks. Rust is widely favored for its memory safety and performance characteristics, making it an attractive target for rewriting critical system components.

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