In this episode of the Azure Essentials Show, Thomas is joined by Ben Brauer from Azure Marketing for a discussion of the growing importance of establishing an AI Center of Excellence. As organizations increasingly look to scale their AI initiatives, this discussion provides practical insights into how a dedicated team can drive responsible, effective, and organization-wide AI adoption.
Three Things You Will Learn
โข The core functions and structure of an AI Center of Excellence, including key roles and governance considerations.
โข How to align business and technical strategies for successful, ethical, and scalable AI implementation.
Recommended resources and frameworks from Microsoft to help organizations get started and continuously improve their AI capabilities.
Resources
โข Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure https://aka.ms/CAF
โข Azure Well-Architected Framework https://aka.ms/WAF
โข Implementing an AI Center of Excellence https://aka.ms/GenAICoE_eBook
โข AI Center of Excellence https://aka.ms/LearnAICoE
โข Explore essential resources! https://azure.com/AzureEssentials
โข Read Thomas’ blog https://www.thomasmaurer.ch/2025/08/implementing-a-center-of-excellence-for-generative-ai
Related episodes
โข AI Adoption with the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure https://aka.ms/AzEssentials/196
โข Whatโs new in the Well-Architected Framework https://aka.ms/azenable/143
Chapters
0:23 Introduction to AI Center of Excellence
1:44 Defining the AI Center of Excellence
4:56 Core Focus Areas and Team Structure
6:10 Structuring the Center of Excellence
7:19 Implementing Strategy and Continuous Improvement
9:09 Resources and Learning Paths
Connect
โข Thomas Maurer https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmaurer2
โข Ben Brauer https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbrauer
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