Azure OpenAI Service

Azure OpenAI Service provides access to OpenAI's models including GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, and embeddings models through Microsoft Azure's enterprise cloud platform. It combines OpenAI's capabilities with Azure's security, compliance, and regional availability.

Key differentiators from direct OpenAI API include: enterprise compliance certifications, virtual network integration, private endpoints, content filtering, Azure AD authentication, regional deployments for data residency, and SLAs for production workloads. Pricing and rate limits differ from OpenAI's consumer API.

Azure OpenAI is often required for enterprises with strict compliance requirements or existing Microsoft partnerships. Engineers should understand: approval process for access, quota management, differences from OpenAI API (minor but present), and integration patterns with Azure services like Cognitive Search for RAG applications.