Agroz partners Microsoft to boost Malaysian agriculture

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian agriculture technology company Agroz Group Sdn Bhd is building its foundational Agroz Farm Operating System (Agroz OS) and Agroz Copilot for Farmers using the array of Microsoft AI and cloud solutions notably Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, GitHub, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft AI Studio, Microsoft Fabric, and Microsoft Power BI.

Agroz is utilising Azure OpenAI Service to build its next generation software application called the Agroz Copilot for Farmers, using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to aid farmers in growing a wide variety of crops in the Agroz CEA Vertical Farms and (soon) in Agroz CEA Greenhouses.

Agroz OS is a platform that combines the operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) that operates the Agroz large scale indoor vertical farms in Malaysia and scaling-up throughout 2024 across Indonesia, Thailand, and the Middle East. Agroz OS forms a key piece in the Agroz Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) offering.

Agroz founder and CEO Gerard Lim said, “Agroz combines robust technologies including Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors, data analytics, AI, automation, water management solution, nutrient fertigation systems, environmental control systems, renewable green energy, edge computing and 5G communications combined with agronomy and plant science knowledge to offer a highly digitalised and automated operations of the Agroz indoor vertical farms that grows clean, nutrient rich, pesticide-free and the freshest vegetables daily.”

This blend of technologies, he added is integrated with the Agroz OS built using Microsoft tools and technologies operating on Microsoft Azure as this enables them to better monitor and manage the Agroz Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Indoor Vertical Farms to improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations that will further boost food safety, food security and sustainability.

“We are delighted to partner with Microsoft in using the latest Generative AI technologies made available through Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to bring the Agroz Copilot for Farmers to life. Early feedback from the pilot rollout has been encouraging, and we believe Copilot for Farmers will be transformative for farmers and fundamentally agriculture,” said Lim.

Microsoft Malaysia managing director K Raman said that agriculture as an industry is facing many challenges, from climate change to global market fluctuations and by harnessing the potential of AI, they have an opportunity to create the right tools to help alleviate some of these challenges and improve the lives of farmers.

“We are proud to collaborate with Agroz to develop Agroz Copilot for Farmers using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, and to be a part of this journey in delivering meaningful innovation for people and organisations working in the agricultural sector,” he added.

Agroz AgTech vertical farming is transforming agriculture with the use of new technologies to grow more food in less space safely without the use of pesticides, herbicides and other dangerous chemicals while reducing the need for storage and refrigeration.

It will improve food security and deliver freshness by growing food locally, nearer to where it is consumed, which reduces transportation thus lowering the food miles generated and its carbon emissions impact.