Agenticum · Thoughts · 6 min read

AI-102 Certification Retired: AI-103 Exam, UAE and KSA Price, and AWS and Google Alternatives

If you searched for the AI-102 certification, you should know that the exam can no longer be taken. This page covers what replaced it, what the new exam costs in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and how it compares with AI certifications from AWS and Google Cloud.

Nikolay Zuykov · Agenticum · 2 November 2026

Status: AI-102 (Azure AI Engineer Associate) retired on June 30, 2026. Microsoft replaced it with AI-103 (Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate) on June 19, 2026. The AI-103 exam costs USD 83 in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

AI-102 is retired: what that means for you

Microsoft retired the AI-102 exam and the Azure AI Engineer Associate certification on June 30, 2026. AI-102 is now on Microsoft's list of recently retired exams, and Microsoft says these exams can no longer be taken. The renewal assessment for the certification is retired as well.

If you already hold the certification, this is where you stand:

It stays on your transcript in your Microsoft Learn profile.
You cannot renew it. Microsoft closes renewal once a certification retires.
Microsoft says a retiring certification earned before its retirement date remains valid for one year.
Microsoft Partners keep earning credit toward Partner requirements for the certification for one year after the retirement date.

A course or practice pack still sold as AI-102 preparation is training you for an exam you cannot take.

The successor: AI-103, Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate

Exam AI-103 is called "Developing AI Apps and Agents on Azure". Microsoft says it replaced AI-102 on June 19, 2026, eleven days before AI-102 retired.

Microsoft says the certification validates your ability to design, develop and deploy Azure AI solutions with Python and Microsoft Foundry. Candidates are expected to have built apps in Python and to know what general AI, generative AI and Azure services can do.

The exam runs 120 minutes, compared with 100 minutes for AI-102. The largest part of the AI-103 skills list is generative AI and agentic solutions.

What AI-103 tests: the five skill areas and their weights

The official study guide lists the skills measured as of April 16, 2026:

Skill area	Weight
Implement generative AI and agentic solutions	30-35%
Plan and manage an Azure AI solution	25-30%
Implement computer vision solutions	10-15%
Implement text analysis solutions	10-15%
Implement information extraction solutions	10-15%

You need a score of 700 or more to pass, and you have 120 minutes. Microsoft says most questions cover features that are generally available (GA). Questions may also cover commonly used features that are still in preview. So the sensible order is to study the GA features first and the commonly used preview features after that.

What AI-103 costs in the UAE and Saudi Arabia (USD, AED, SAR)

Microsoft prices the exam by the country or region where it is proctored, so the price depends on where you sit it. Microsoft's official price list, which supplies pricing to its Learn exam pages, lists these prices for AI-103:

Where the exam is proctored	USD (billed)	AED (at peg)	SAR (at peg)
United Arab Emirates	83	304.82	311.25
Saudi Arabia	83	304.82	311.25
United States (for reference)	165	605.96	618.75

Microsoft bills the exam in USD in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The AED and SAR figures are our conversions at the fixed pegs of USD 1 = AED 3.6725 and USD 1 = SAR 3.75. Microsoft does not charge in those currencies. The local price is about half the US list price.

If you fail your first attempt, you can retake the exam 24 hours later. Renewal costs nothing. Associate certifications expire every year, and you renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.

Microsoft, AWS and Google Cloud certifications compared

The table below sets AI-103 next to AI certifications from AWS and Google Cloud.

Certification	Level	Duration	Questions	Languages	Validity and renewal	USD	AED	SAR
Microsoft AI-103, Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate	Associate	120 minutes	See exam page	10 languages, Arabic not included	Expires yearly; free online renewal	83 (UAE/KSA price)	304.82	311.25
AWS Certified Generative AI Developer - Professional	Professional	180 minutes	75	See AWS	See AWS	300	1,101.75	1,125.00
Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer	Professional	2 hours	50-60 multiple choice	English, Japanese	2 years	200 plus tax where applicable	734.50 before tax	750.00 before tax

Notes on the table. AWS gives local-currency prices only for a few currencies, and AED and SAR are not among them. AWS also notes that taxes may apply. Google's fee is USD 200 plus tax where applicable, so we do not give a tax-inclusive AED or SAR figure. The AED and SAR columns use the same fixed pegs as above.

AWS also offers the Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate exam: USD 75 for the MLA-C02 beta and USD 150 for MLA-C01. The last day to take MLA-C01 in English was September 28, 2026, so English-language candidates now sit the MLA-C02 beta.

Which one to pick: a decision guide for UAE and Saudi teams

Choose a certification for the cloud platform your company already uses. Consider the study time as well as the fee, and choose a platform you expect to use.

Azure and Microsoft Foundry teams: AI-103. Of the three exams, AI-103 has the lowest listed fee in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
AWS teams: the Generative AI Developer - Professional. The Machine Learning Engineer - Associate is the lower-level option.
Google Cloud teams: the Professional Machine Learning Engineer.

Before you book, check these:

Language. Neither AI-103 nor the Google exam is offered in Arabic. For AWS, check the exam page.
Extra time. If a Microsoft exam isn't offered in your preferred language, you can ask for 30 extra minutes.
Account. Microsoft strongly recommends registering with a personal Microsoft account. If you use a work or school account, your exam records are lost when you leave the organization.
Renewal. To keep your AI-103 certification current, pass the free online renewal assessment each year. The Google certification is valid for two years.

How to prepare and book AI-103 in practice

Read the AI-103 study guide on Microsoft Learn and work through the five skill areas, starting with generative AI and agentic solutions, which carry the most weight.
Check that you meet the baseline: experience building apps in Python and familiarity with general AI, generative AI and Azure services.
Take the official practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator. Microsoft says it more closely aligns with the exam experience.
Book through Pearson VUE using a personal Microsoft account. The price you see depends on the country where the exam is proctored.
If you fail your first attempt, you can retake the exam after 24 hours.
Put the renewal in your calendar. You can take the free renewal assessment any time during your six-month eligibility window, and passing it extends the certification by one year from the expiration date.