Microsoft Azure Adopts Google-Backed A2A Protocol for AI Agent Interoperability

Microsoft has announced its support for the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol, an open standard developed in collaboration with industry partners including Google. This integration into Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio aims to enable seamless communication between AI agents across platforms, clouds, and organizational boundaries.

Strategic Move for Enterprise AI

With over 70,000 enterprises using Azure AI Foundry and 230,000 organizations leveraging Copilot Studio, Microsoft positions A2A as a cornerstone for the next generation of agentic workflows. This adoption marks a shift from isolated AI tools to interconnected systems capable of collaborative problem-solving.

Key Features of A2A

• Structured Communication: Agents can exchange goals, manage state transitions, invoke actions, and return results through standardized interfaces.
• Cross-Platform Interoperability: Critical for enterprises relying on AI to orchestrate tasks across diverse vendors and data silos. For example, a supply chain agent on AWS could adjust inventory by querying a manufacturing agent on Azure.
• Security and Governance: All interactions route through Microsoft Entra for identity verification, mutual TLS for encryption, and Azure AI Content Safety for compliance checks. Audit logs ensure accountability in regulated industries like healthcare and finance.

Industry Impact and Adoption

Microsoft reports that over 10,000 organizations have adopted its Agent Service in just four months, highlighting the demand for cross-platform compatibility. The company has also contributed a sample to the Semantic Kernel repository, demonstrating A2A in action with agents autonomously scheduling meetings and drafting emails.

Future Roadmap

A public preview of A2A in Azure AI Foundry and Copilot Studio is slated for release later this year. Early adopters will gain access to prebuilt templates for use cases like customer service escalation and IT incident resolution.

Long-term, Microsoft envisions A2A as foundational to where AI systems dynamically adapt to workflows spanning human and machine collaborators. With already using Copilot Studio, Microsoft is uniquely positioned to drive this paradigm shift.