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Microsoft’s annual Build developer conference starts May 7th

Microsoft’s annual Build developer conference starts May 7th

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It’s going up against Google I/O this year

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Microsoft’s Build developer conference will run this year from May 7th to May 9th, the company announced this week. The official confirmation comes just a day after the dates leaked courtesy of Microsoft watcher WalkingCat on Twitter, alongside the official invitation graphic. Like last year’s event, this Build looks like it will again take place in Seattle, Washington, near the company’s Redmond headquarters instead of in San Francisco, where Build has been held in years past. Registration starts at 12PM ET / 9AM PT on February 15th.

Build is typically where developers, consumers, and Microsoft partners get an expansive peek at the Windows roadmap and what it means for the future of the OS and all the apps, services, and businesses that rely on it. There’s also usually some interesting hardware announcements related to the company’s Mixed Reality initiative, as well first looks at bigger and more substantive software updates to the Edge browser, Office apps, Cortana, and Bing.

That particular week of May will be especially jam-packed this year, as Microsoft Build is going up against Google’s I/O conference. I/O is the search giant’s own annual tech conference where Google executives detail upcoming changes to Android, search, and the myriad of other domains the company specializes in, like artificial intelligence and augmented and virtual reality. Google I/O this year is taking place from May 8th to May 10th at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

The overlap is likely accidental, as both Google and Microsoft book venues for these conferences many months in advance and tirelessly plan schedules around them. Still, for eager consumers who like to tune in (and for the tech journalists who cover it live), it’s going be one busy week.

Update at 4:24PM ET, 2/8: Added confirmation from Microsoft on Build 2018 dates.