Microsoft has announced Thursday that it would join Google’s Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol which was introduced in April. This protocol allows AI agents to communicate with each other, exchange data securely, and coordinate their actions across different business platforms and applications.
A2A makes use of Anthropic’s existing Model Context Protocol (MCP). This allows developers to build agents that are compatible with agents from other providers, enabling users to leverage different agents from different vendors through a single call. This protocol was developed with support from over 50 technology partners, including Atlassian, PayPal, Salesforce, SAP, and Workday, as well as consulting firms like Accenture, Deloitte, and Infosys.
Built on established standards such as HTTP and JSON-RPC, it is designed to integrate with existing IT systems and includes enterprise-grade security features. Core features of A2A include task management, capability discovery, and collaboration between agents. Agents can share their capabilities using a JSON-formatted “Agent Card,” which helps identify the most suitable agent for specific tasks.
READ: Amazon-backed Anthropic raises $3.5 billion (March 4, 2025)
Several technology companies have declared their support ever since this was announced. Microsoft is planning to use this to integrate support for A2A into both Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio.
“By supporting A2A and building on our open orchestration platform, we’re laying the foundation for the next generation of software — collaborative, observable, and adaptive by design,” Microsoft said on Thursday via a blog post. “The best agents won’t live in one app or cloud; they’ll operate in the flow of work, spanning models, domains, and ecosystems.”
“Customers can build complex, multi-agent workflows that span internal agents, partner tools, and production infrastructure — while maintaining governance and service-level agreements,” Microsoft added. “We’re aligning with the broader industry push for shared agent protocols.”
Microsoft also announced that it will actively contribute to the further development of the A2A protocol. The company is now a member of the A2A working group on GitHub, where it is working on specifications and supporting tools. This involvement is in addition to Microsoft’s existing contribution to the Model Context Protocol (MCP).