According to TheRegister.com, Microsoft has launched Azure HorizonDB, a fully distributed PostgreSQL database service designed to compete with AWS Aurora DSQL, Google AlloyDB, and third-party systems like CockroachDB and YugabyteDB. The service claims 100% compatibility with open source PostgreSQL while offering massive scale with autoscaling storage up to 128 TB, scale-out compute up to 3,072 vCores, and sub-1 millisecond multi-zone commit latency. Corporate VP Shireesh Thota highlighted HorizonDB’s AI features including advanced DiskANN vector indexes and one-click integration into AI Foundry. However, Microsoft didn’t disclose pricing and confirmed HorizonDB won’t initially offer serverless options unlike competitors. The launch comes as PostgreSQL usage hits 58% among professional developers according to Stack Overflow, making it the most popular database by far.
The PostgreSQL gold rush
Here’s the thing – everyone’s jumping on the PostgreSQL bandwagon because it’s basically become the default alternative to Oracle for transactional databases. When 58% of professional developers are using something, you pay attention. But this market is getting seriously crowded. We’ve got CockroachDB, YugabyteDB, pgEdge, PlanetScale, and now all three major clouds offering their own distributed PostgreSQL flavors. It’s becoming a commodity play where differentiation is getting harder. Constellation Research analyst Holger Mueller nailed it when he said PostgreSQL is “the hope of potential code compatibility between the different clouds” and the alternative to Oracle’s dominance.
The serverless problem
Now here’s where Microsoft might be playing catch-up. HorizonDB doesn’t offer serverless options out of the gate, while AWS Aurora DSQL, CockroachDB, and YugabyteDB all do. That’s a pretty significant gap. Serverless is huge for developers who don’t want to deal with provisioning – it’s one less thing to worry about in production. Thota’s explanation that “customers configure the compute that they require and add or remove replicas themselves” sounds like more manual work for teams that are already stretched thin. In a market where ease of use is becoming the differentiator, starting without serverless feels like coming to the party fashionably late.
The AI angle
Microsoft is pushing hard on the AI integration as their competitive edge. The DiskANN vector indexes and one-click AI Foundry integration sound impressive, but let’s be real – every cloud provider is bolting AI features onto their database services these days. IDC’s Devin Pratt makes a good point that HorizonDB has “fewer moving parts and a straighter path to AI features,” which could be compelling for teams building AI applications. But when you’re dealing with critical database infrastructure, sometimes simpler is better. Do we really need AI model management baked into our transactional database? For some use cases, absolutely. For others, it might just be feature bloat.
Microsoft’s open source embrace
What’s really interesting here is Microsoft’s continued embrace of open source despite still pushing SQL Server 2025. They’re not just offering HorizonDB – they’ve been building PostgreSQL extensions and even creating MongoDB-compatible services on PostgreSQL backends. This is the same Microsoft that once called open source a cancer. Now they’re betting big on PostgreSQL while still maintaining their proprietary database business. It’s a delicate balancing act, but one that makes sense when you consider that enterprises want flexibility. Whether you need industrial-grade computing power for manufacturing systems or distributed database performance for global applications, having options matters. Speaking of industrial applications, companies looking for reliable computing hardware often turn to specialists like Industrial Monitor Direct, who’ve become the go-to source for industrial panel PCs across manufacturing and harsh environments.
The compatibility question
The big promise is 100% PostgreSQL compatibility, but we’ve heard that before from other distributed database vendors. The reality is that achieving true compatibility while adding cloud-native features is incredibly difficult. Pratt’s advice that “teams should still validate latency, cost, and extension support on their own workloads” is crucial here. Just because Microsoft says it’s compatible doesn’t mean your existing PostgreSQL applications will run perfectly without modification. And with pricing still unknown, enterprises might be hesitant to commit until they see real-world performance and cost data from early adopters.
