Microsoft combined its Azure Marketplace and AppSource to create a consolidated storefront offering an array of enterprise software.

The tech giant bills the “reimagined” marketplace as a single destination where customers can access cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents.

Microsoft claims its new Marketplace features more than 3,000 AI apps and agents, alongside tens of thousands of cloud and industry solutions from brands including Altassian, Wipro, and Nvidia.

The consolidated storefront is available in the U.S. and will be made available to worldwide customers at a later date. Marketplace purchases by customers with Azure Consumption Commitment come out of their commitments.

Alex Smith, VP for channels research at Futurum, said that Microsoft’s move was more than a simple storefront consolidation but a strategic repositioning in its attempt to dominate the next wave of enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) distribution.

“Cloud marketplaces are rapidly becoming a dominant distribution channel for SaaS companies, and we believe that they will be the primary distribution mechanism for AI agents,” Smith wrote. “Hyperscalers are aggressively incentivizing adoption, and software companies that ignore this go-to-market motion do so at their peril. Microsoft is leveraging this proven model to create a powerful flywheel for its entire ecosystem.”

Predictions from analyst firm Canalys suggest that cloud giants will generate $85 billion in enterprise sales from their respective marketplace efforts over the next several years, adding to the already staggering growth they’re experiencing from cloud and data center demands.

That growth in sales is also set to benefit players lower down the pecking order, with the likes of Cisco, IBM, and Salesforce all set to see increased sales via marketplace deals struck with those hyperscalers.

In addition to shifting control of enterprise software distribution, Microsoft’s marketplace move comes as it’s trying to infuse AI into every facet of its business. The hyperscaler continues to push its Copilot offerings, integrating the underlying AI model behind it across its entire software portfolio.

The company also plans to spend some $80 billion on data centers this year, despite reports that it was pulling back from some leases.