Custom AI Model in AI Foundry

Hello David Yoon ,

thanks for your question! Azure AI Foundry supports creating and customizing models through fine-tuning rather than training from scratch. Here’s how you can approach it:

Key Steps to Create a Custom Model

1. Prepare Your Data
   • Collect a clean dataset relevant to your use case (classification, summarisation, domain-specific tasks).
   • Split into training and validation sets in JSONL format for text-based models.
2. Choose Fine-Tuning Method
   • In Azure AI Foundry portal, navigate to Model Catalog → Azure OpenAI or other providers.
   • Select a base model (e.g., GPT‑4.1 or GPT‑4.1‑mini for smaller tasks).
   • Use LoRA (Low-Rank Adaptation) for efficient fine-tuning—this reduces cost and speeds up training.
3. Run Fine-Tuning Job
   • Options: Portal, Python SDK, or REST API.
   • Monitor job status in the portal and review logs for any errors.
4. Deploy Your Custom Model
   • After fine-tuning completes, deploy via Azure AI Foundry Models.
   • Choose serverless API or managed compute based on your performance and cost needs.
5. Test and Iterate
   • Use the Playground in Foundry to validate outputs.
   • Adjust training data or parameters if results don’t meet expectations.

Benefits of Fine-Tuning

1. Improves accuracy for domain-specific tasks.
2. Reduces token usage and latency compared to prompt engineering.
3. Enables compliance with organizational tone and policies

If you need advanced control (like embeddings or multi-agent orchestration), you can integrate Azure AI Foundry Agent Service or use Azure Machine Learning pipelines for complex workflows.

References:
Fine-tune models with Azure AI Foundry and Customize a model in AI Foundry.
I hope this clears things up! If you need any further assistance or run into any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out I’ll be happy to help.

Thankyou!

Hi, Anshika

Thanks for your answer but I want to know how to add custom AI model made by myself instead find tunned foundation model.

I'm not sure if we can add custom AI model in Azure AI Foundry except Marketplace.

Hoep to see your answer and insight as well.

Regards,
David