New Microsoft Certified: Agentic DevOps Engineer Expert (Exam AZ-401 Beta)

By Nisal Gunawardhana

The best time to add AI skills to your DevOps toolbox is right now.

DevOps has always been about connecting people, processes and technology to deliver value faster. Now AI is part of that equation too. The new Microsoft Certified: Agentic DevOps Engineer Expert certification is built for DevOps engineers, developers and infrastructure administrators who want to deepen their expertise and learn how to bring AI assistance and AI agents into modern DevOps practices.

You earn it by passing Exam AZ-401: Designing and Implementing Microsoft Agentic DevOps Solutions, which is currently in beta.

What you will be able to do

The certification validates your ability to deliver continuous value with AI-assisted DevOps across Azure DevOps and GitHub, using GitHub Copilot. You will build skills in:

• Designing DevOps processes, traceability and success metrics.
• Creating source control strategies across Azure DevOps and GitHub.
• Building build, release and deployment pipelines with AI assistance.
• Applying security, compliance and instrumentation strategies using AI agents.

Is it right for you?

It is designed for agentic DevOps engineers: developers or infrastructure administrators who bring people, processes and products together for continuous delivery, and who improve DevOps with AI assistance tools. You will work with developers, site reliability engineers, platform engineers, Azure administrators and security engineers.

You should already have:

• Strong skills in administering or developing solutions with Microsoft technologies.
• Practical experience with DevOps code languages such as YAML, KQL and Bicep.
• Experience implementing both Azure DevOps and GitHub solutions using Microsoft and GitHub AI tools.

What you need to pass

To earn the expert certification you must pass AZ-401 and also one of these exams:

• GH-300: GitHub Copilot
• AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator

Bonus: 80% off the beta exam

The first 300 candidates who take Exam AZ-401 (beta) on or before November 9, 2026 can get 80% off.

• Register here: lnkz.xyz/V3k
• Enter the code AZ401Glendon when prompted for payment. It is not a private access code.
• Seats are first come, first served, and you must take the exam by November 9, 2026.
• The discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India or China.

How to prepare

• Review the Exam AZ-401 (beta) exam page and study guide to see the topics covered.
• Complete the self-paced Microsoft Learn plan Optimize DevOps with AI agents on Azure.
• Connect with a Microsoft Training Services Partner for in-person options.
• Read Microsoft's guidance on how to prepare for beta exams.

Things to know

• It is a beta exam. Rescoring begins when the exam goes live, and final results are released about 10 days later.
• General availability is expected in December.
• AZ-400 is retiring. Exam AZ-400 and the Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert certification retire on February 1, 2027, so this is the path forward if you are on that track.
• Exams can be taken online. You can sit certification exams from home or the office with online proctoring.

Useful links

• Get the 80% off beta offer
• Microsoft Learn
• Original announcement on the Microsoft Tech Community Skills Hub blog

Disclaimer

Exam details, eligibility and discounts are set by Microsoft and may change. Always check Microsoft Learn for the most current information.

About the author

Nisal Gunawardhana writes about cloud, DevOps and AI certifications, and helps students and professionals prepare for them.

Good luck with your preparation! If you know a DevOps engineer who could use this, share the post with them.