Model Details
MAI Thinking 1
Quick answer: MAI Thinking 1 is Microsoft's May 2025 proprietary reasoning model, scoring 85% MMLU-Pro, 73.5% SWE-Bench Verified, and 72.0% BFCL v3. It represents Microsoft's in-house reasoning model capability, distinct from their Azure-hosted OpenAI models.
At a Glance
Where MAI Thinking 1 leads
- 85% MMLU-Pro — strong academic knowledge with reasoning
- 73.5% SWE-Bench Verified — competitive software engineering
- 72.0% BFCL v3 — good function calling with reasoning
- Microsoft-built: not an OpenAI model resold
Where it lags
- Proprietary: no open weights
- February 2025 knowledge cutoff — older than competing models
- Limited public benchmark data
- Text-only
Best for: Azure-native deployments requiring Microsoft-built reasoning models; teams needing MAI capabilities in Azure AI Foundry.
What MAI Thinking 1 Is
MAI Thinking 1 (released May 2025) is Microsoft's first publicly released in-house reasoning model — distinct from the GPT models that Microsoft distributes via Azure OpenAI. "MAI" stands for Microsoft AI, and the "Thinking" designation indicates a chain-of-thought reasoning architecture.
The model is positioned as Microsoft's answer to OpenAI's o-series for teams that prefer Microsoft-built models over OpenAI-built ones in Azure. With 85% MMLU-Pro and 73.5% SWE-Bench, it is competitive with models at a similar capability tier from the same period.
Specifications
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Organization | Microsoft |
| License | Proprietary (API only) |
| Release date | May 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | February 2025 |
| Modality | Text only |
| Architecture | Chain-of-thought reasoning |
Pricing
Available via Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. Refer to Azure AI pricing for current MAI Thinking 1 rates.
Public Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | Score | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU-Pro | 85% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 |
| SWE-Bench Verified | 73.5% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 |
| BFCL v3 | 72.0% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 |
MAI Thinking 1 vs Alternatives
| Model | MMLU-Pro | SWE-Bench | BFCL v3 | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAI Thinking 1 | 85% | 73.5% | 72.0% | Microsoft |
| Phi-4 Reasoning Plus | 76% | — | — | Microsoft |
| GPT-5 Codex | — | 74.5% | — | OpenAI |
| o3-mini | — | — | — | OpenAI |
MAI Thinking 1 vs Phi-4 Reasoning Plus: higher MMLU-Pro (85% vs 76%) at likely higher cost (proprietary API vs open weights). MAI Thinking 1 is for teams requiring Microsoft-built proprietary reasoning vs open-weight options.
Related Models & Benchmarks
- Compare: Phi-4 Reasoning Plus · GPT-5 Codex · o3-mini
- Benchmarks: MMLU-Pro · SWE-Bench Verified · BFCL v3
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MAI Thinking 1?
Microsoft's May 2025 in-house reasoning model scoring 85% MMLU-Pro, 73.5% SWE-Bench Verified, and 72.0% BFCL v3. Microsoft-built, distinct from Azure OpenAI's GPT models.Is MAI Thinking 1 the same as an OpenAI model?
No — MAI (Microsoft AI) is Microsoft's in-house model development. Azure OpenAI models (GPT-4o, o3, etc.) are built by OpenAI. MAI Thinking 1 is built by Microsoft's own AI research team.Specs from Microsoft's MAI Thinking 1 release (May 2025) and Benchgen evaluations. Last updated 2026-07-24.