Microsoft Corp. on 8 July said it has entered a strategic partnership with Replit Inc., bringing the start-up’s AI-based software-creation platform to the Azure Marketplace and integrating it with several Microsoft cloud services. The tie-up will let enterprise customers build and deploy applications through natural-language prompts—an approach known as “vibe coding”—while purchasing Replit subscriptions directly through Microsoft’s cloud storefront. Under the deal, Replit’s technology will tap Azure infrastructure such as containers, virtual machines and Microsoft’s serverless Postgres database, simplifying back-end set-up for users with little or no coding experience. The arrangement is non-exclusive, and Replit said applications built on its service will continue to run on Google Cloud, where most are currently hosted. For Microsoft, the alliance broadens its portfolio of developer tools beyond GitHub Copilot and could steer additional cloud workloads to Azure. It also deprives Google Cloud of some of the halo effect it has enjoyed from hosting Replit-built apps, though Replit emphasised it is “growing to support Microsoft shops,” not abandoning existing partners. Founded in 2016, San Francisco-based Replit has emerged as a leader in vibe coding. Chief Executive Amjad Masad said in June the company’s annual recurring revenue jumped from about $10 million to $100 million in six months, and that more than 500,000 business users now rely on its browser-native environment. The firm last raised $97.4 million at a $1.1 billion valuation and still holds more than half of that capital, according to Masad.