Microsoft-Decision-1: 9B Model Claims 35x Speed [2026]
Summary
The article analyzes Microsoft's Decision-1, a 9B parameter decision-scoring model built on Qwen3.5-9B, designed to output calibrated probabilities for fixed options rather than generate free-form text. It covers the model's use cases (routing, classification, prioritization, verification, workflow control), deployment via Foundry and OpenRouter, benchmark claims, pricing, and the plan to rebase the underlying weights onto MAI/OpenAI. The piece situates Decision-1 within a trend toward fast, task-specific AI for enterprise workflows and highlights caveats around vendor-reported metrics and future model migrations.