Microsoft Awarded the 2026 INFORMS Edelman Award for Cloud Supply Chain Optimization and Generative AI Innovation

Advanced analytics, optimization and generative AI accelerate global cloud infrastructure deployment

BALTIMORE, April 13, 2026 — INFORMS, the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research (O.R.), AI, analytics and data science, announced it has awarded Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) its 2026 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Advanced Analytics, Operations Research and Management Science, for reengineering how global cloud infrastructure is planned and delivered, applying advanced analytics and AI to orchestrate complex fulfillment decisions across its rapidly expanding data center network.

Microsoft transformed cloud fulfillment with the Intelligent Fulfillment Service (IFS), which integrates machine learning, optimization and generative AI. IFS automates global shipment planning which halves cycle times, generating tens to hundreds of millions in annual savings while mitigating tariff impacts. Its LLM-powered assistant, based on the pioneering OptiGuide framework, democratizes decision intelligence with real-time explainability and scenario exploration, reducing fulfillment team workload by 23% and accelerating decision-making from days to minutes.

First awarded in 1972, the Franz Edelman Award, often referred to as “The Nobel Prize” of O.R. and advanced analytics, recognizes and rewards outstanding contributions of analytics and O.R. in the for- and nonprofit sectors around the globe. Each year, INFORMS honors finalist teams that have improved organizational efficiency, increased profits, brought better products to consumers, helped foster peace negotiation and saved lives. Since its inception, the cumulative dollar benefits from Edelman finalist projects have surpassed $446 billion.

Microsoft received the Edelman Award this evening at the Edelman Gala, a highlight of the 2026 INFORMS Analytics+ Conference in National Harbor, Md.

Franz Edelman Award Finalists

In addition to Microsoft, five other organizations were finalists for this year’s Franz Edelman Award:

• Chewy for “Transforming Replenishment at Chewy”
• Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), India for “Anna Chakra: Digital Wheels of Food Security”
• ECCO Shoes for “Optimizing ECCO’s Global Retail Inventory Strategy with Two-Stage Stochastic Programming”
• Google for “Carbon and Power Aware Computing at Google”
• NVIDIA for “Global Supply Chain Optimization at NVIDIA: Scaling for the AI Revolution”

Additional information about the 2026 INFORMS Franz Edelman Award finalists and competition can be found at: https://www.informs.org/Recognizing-Excellence/Edelman-Award.

About INFORMS

INFORMS is the world’s largest association for professionals and students in operations research, AI, analytics, data science and related disciplines, serving as a global authority in advancing cutting-edge practices and fostering an interdisciplinary community of innovation. With a network of more than 12,000 members spanning academia, industry and government, INFORMS connects thought leaders, experts and emerging professionals who advance and apply AI, mathematics, analytics and other sciences and technologies to solve complex challenges and drive impactful decision-making.

Through its prestigious peer-reviewed journals, world-class conferences, industry-leading certification programs and a suite of professional resources, INFORMS empowers its community to enhance operational efficiency, elevate organizational performance and promote smarter decisions for a better world. Discover more at www.informs.org.

###

Contact:

Rebecca Seel
Public Affairs Specialist, INFORMS

(443) 757-3578

[email protected]