Generative AI platforms & models
Amazon Nova vs Microsoft models in Foundry (MAI, Phi, Model Router) / Microsoft Foundry Models (incl. Azure OpenAI)
Amazon Nova's closest Azure counterpart is Microsoft's own models in Foundry (MAI and Phi, plus Model Router).
But Microsoft's flagship LLMs on Azure are mainly OpenAI GPT models, so there's no one-to-one family match.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon Nova | Microsoft models in Foundry (MAI, Phi, Model Router) Microsoft Foundry Models (incl. Azure OpenAI) |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available Generally available |
| What it is | Amazon's first-party foundation models. Understanding (Nova Micro/Lite/Pro, Nova 2 Lite), creative (Nova Canvas image, Nova Reel video), speech-to-speech (Nova 2 Sonic), and multimodal embeddings. | Microsoft first-party models sold by Azure, including MAI models (for example MAI-Image), the Phi small language models, Model Router, and healthcare AI models. Catalog of 10,000+ models. "Sold by Azure" (Azure OpenAI GPT family, Microsoft MAI/Phi, xAI Grok, DeepSeek, Meta, Mistral, Cohere, Black Forest Labs, Moonshot) plus partner/community models (Anthropic Claude, Hugging Face, and more). Deploy serverless (per-token) or on managed compute. |
| Pricing model | Nova is priced per token (text), per image, or per second of video on Bedrock, with batch and Provisioned Throughput options. | Microsoft models sold by Azure are priced per token (or per image) on serverless deployments. Some offer provisioned throughput. |
| Docs | Amazon Nova docs | Microsoft models in Foundry (MAI, Phi, Model Router) docs Microsoft Foundry Models (incl. Azure OpenAI) docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon Nova pricing | Microsoft models in Foundry (MAI, Phi, Model Router) pricing Microsoft Foundry Models (incl. Azure OpenAI) pricing |
| Exams | AIF-C01 Generative AI Developer – Professional | AI-901 AI-103 |
Key differences
- Nova covers understanding (Micro/Lite/Pro, Nova 2 Lite), creative (Canvas image, Reel video), speech-to-speech (Nova 2 Sonic), and multimodal embeddings, all from Amazon.
- On Azure, first-party models include the MAI models (for example MAI-Image), Phi small language models, Model Router, and healthcare AI models. General-purpose frontier LLM work on Azure usually means Azure OpenAI GPT models, which are "sold by Azure" but built by OpenAI.
- For speech-to-speech, Nova Sonic maps more naturally to Azure Voice Live or realtime audio models than to a Microsoft-built LLM.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Nova is priced per token (text), per image, or per second of video on Bedrock, with batch and Provisioned Throughput options. Amazon Nova pricing →
- Azure
- Microsoft models sold by Azure are priced per token (or per image) on serverless deployments. Some offer provisioned throughput. Microsoft models in Foundry (MAI, Phi, Model Router) pricing → Microsoft Foundry Models (incl. Azure OpenAI) pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified AI Practitioner AIF-C01 | AWS | Foundational | current Italian and German versions retire after Oct 15, 2026 (per AWS cert page). |
| AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional | AWS | Professional | current Exam code not confirmed from the official page at build time; shown by name only. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Fundamentals AI-901 | Azure | Fundamentals | current AI-901 replaces AI-900 for this certification (English version updated Apr 15, 2026). Covers Microsoft Foundry. |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate AI-103 | Azure | Associate | current Generative AI and agentic solutions with Microsoft Foundry using Python. Successor in scope to the retired AI-102. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Nova?
Amazon Nova's closest Azure counterpart is Microsoft's own models in Foundry (MAI and Phi, plus Model Router). But Microsoft's flagship LLMs on Azure are mainly OpenAI GPT models, so there's no one-to-one family match.
How does pricing compare between Amazon Nova and Microsoft models in Foundry (MAI, Phi, Model Router) and Microsoft Foundry Models (incl. Azure OpenAI)?
AWS: Nova is priced per token (text), per image, or per second of video on Bedrock, with batch and Provisioned Throughput options. Azure: Microsoft models sold by Azure are priced per token (or per image) on serverless deployments. Some offer provisioned throughput. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01); AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional; Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103).
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Nova?
There isn't an exact one. Microsoft's own models (MAI, Phi) are the first-party counterpart, while Azure OpenAI GPT models fill the general-purpose flagship role.