Microsoft Build kicks off today in Seattle -- and you can watch the opening keynote live, right here.

The software giant's annual developer conference will commence at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET, May 10. (See what time that is in your local time zone.) A second publicly streamed keynote will follow on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. PT.

While these giant developer conferences once heralded new consumer hardware, they have returned to their focus on the core audience in recent years: the software developers who spend big bucks to attend in-person sessions throughout the week to learn about the future of Microsoft's Windows and cloud computing platforms.

Indeed, with the recent unveiling of the Surface Laptop, Windows 10 S and Cortana-powered Invoke smart speaker, Microsoft has cleared the decks for Build to stay focused on its developers. (Don't fret, Microsoft fanboys: You'll get another likely hardware reveal on May 23 in Shanghai, and a look at the Xbox Project Scorpio sequel at E3 next month.)

With those expectations firmly in check, here's what you can expect to see at Build:

More on Windows 10 S apps: Windows 10 S, announced last week, is basically a "streamlined" version of the Windows desktop operating system. Since that version will only run apps from the Windows 10 Store, expect Microsoft to highlight the best way for developers to port over their existing software -- whether it's using the "Centennial" desktop bridge or something new and as-yet unannounced.

Cortana Skills: The Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker is now official, but Microsoft is playing catch-up with Amazon's Alexa and Google's Home smart speakers. Getting developers on board to load up compatible skills for the Invoke -- and the other Cortana-powered devices presumed to follow -- would be a smart first step.

More augmented/mixed/virtual reality: At this point, Microsoft's virtual reality visions are split between the HoloLens at the high end and the more affordable mixed-reality headsets -- like Acer's model -- in the more affordable realm. With Facebook showing some impressive Oculus-powered demos at its own developer conference in April, it wouldn't be surprising to see Microsoft give some stage time to demos showing that the company still has serious skin in the AR/MR/VR game.

Edge computing and Internet of Things: "Edge computing" is one of the terms that is tough to get your head around (thus, this thread on Quora). But with Microsoft investing heavily in its Azure cloud computing platform, expect this slice of the cloud and its impact on Internet of Things to be a big focus at Build. (And remember that "edge computing" is not to be confused with Microsoft Edge, the company's web browser.)

Bots, AI and machine learning: Build 2016 was big on software bots. Expect to hear more about chatty, conversational software -- from Cortana and beyond -- and the machine learning and artificial intelligence breakthroughs that make the technology possible.

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A hat tip to our colleague Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet for the bulk of the Build insights listed above. Read her column for all of the latest Microsoft news.