Microsoft has announced that it is adopting an open protocol recently introduced by Google, enabling AI "agents" to communicate with each other.
On Wednesday, Microsoft revealed that it will integrate support for Google's Agent-to-Agent (A2A) specification into its two AI development platforms, Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio. Additionally, Microsoft has joined the A2A Working Group on GitHub to contribute to the protocol and tooling.
"By supporting A2A and building on our open orchestration platform, we are laying the foundation for the next generation of software—software that is collaborative, observable, and adaptable by design," the company wrote in a blog post. "The best agents won’t exist in just one app or cloud; they will operate across workflows, spanning models, domains, and ecosystems."
A2A, introduced by Google in early April, enables semi-autonomous programs powered by AI—known as agents—to collaborate across different clouds, applications, and services. Using this protocol, agents can exchange objectives and invoke actions. Developers gain access to a set of interoperable components to ensure secure agent collaboration.
Once Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio incorporate A2A support, agents built on these platforms will be able to call external agents to perform tasks, including those created or hosted outside of Microsoft. For example, a Microsoft agent could schedule meetings while a Google agent drafts email invitations.
"Customers can build sophisticated multi-agent workflows that span internal agents, partner tools, and production infrastructure—all while maintaining governance and service level agreements," the company explained in its blog post. "We are aligning with broader industry efforts to drive shared agent protocols forward."
Although still evolving, agent technology is attracting increasing investment as businesses look to adopt it to boost productivity. According to a recent KPMG survey, 65% of companies are experimenting with AI agents. Markets and Markets predicts that the AI agent market will grow from $7.84 billion in 2025 to $52.62 billion by 2030.
