A publication on the context layer
AI models are converging.
The real difference lives in the context layer.
As the performance gap between models narrows each month, an enterprise's ontology, semantic definitions, knowledge graph and agent grounding rules become the durable, inimitable advantage. IQ Platform 360 reads Microsoft Fabric IQ as its anchor, compared side-by-side with Palantir Foundry, Databricks, Snowflake and Salesforce Data 360.
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All articles →IQ > AI: The Rise of the Context Layer
As AI commoditizes, ontology, context graph and agent grounding emerge as the durable moat. A reading through Microsoft Fabric IQ, Palantir, Databricks, Snowflake and Salesforce.
Start reading →Architectural reading
How everything emerges from IQ
In November 2025 Microsoft consolidated three distinct products under a single frame: Microsoft IQ — the unified intelligence layer. It translates context from the data, work and agent worlds into one semantic language. The live diagram below shows the value chain that flows from sources to surfaces.
- OneLake
- Lakehouse / Eventhouse
- Power BI semantic models
- Mirrored DBs
- Email / Chat
- Files / Meetings
- Calendar / Graph
- Work habits & signals
- Azure AI Search
- Docs / PDF / web
- Enterprise knowledge bases
- External APIs
- Power BI reports
- Notebooks / Data agent
- Operations agent
- Plan (no-code)
- M365 Copilot
- Outlook intelligence
- Teams suggestions
- Copilot agents
- Custom agents (any LLM)
- Copilot Studio
- Azure AI Foundry agents
- Internal apps
All three verticals converge on the same thesis: not the model, the context. The ontology + context graph + agent grounding contract speaks the same semantic language regardless of the surface.
Editorial axes
04Architecture
Inside Fabric IQ
Concrete architectural readings of how Ontology, Plan, Graph and Agents talk to each other.
First piece
Inside Fabric IQ: Ontology · Plan · Graph · Agents
Comparison
Reading vendors side by side
Putting Fabric IQ next to Palantir Foundry Ontology, Databricks Unity + Mosaic, Snowflake Cortex and Salesforce Data 360.
First piece
Fabric IQ vs Palantir Foundry Ontology: Architecture Compared
Migration
From existing investment
Controlled paths from Power BI Semantic Models, Synapse and lakehouses into the Fabric IQ ontology.
First piece
Power BI Semantic Model → Fabric Ontology: Migration Guide
Patterns
Agent grounding in practice
Reusable knowledge bases with Foundry IQ + Azure AI Search; agent retrieval and governance patterns.
First piece
Foundry IQ + Azure AI Search Patterns