Linux Foundation to Host Protocol for AI Agent Interoperability
- By John K. Waters
- 06/24/25
The Linux Foundation has announced it will host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol project, an open standard originally developed by Google to support secure communication and interoperability among AI agents.
A2A is designed to help autonomous software agents collaborate across disparate systems and platforms. The protocol allows agents to discover each other, exchange information, and coordinate actions, addressing a growing demand for integration across enterprise AI environments.
The project was initiated by Google in April and has since attracted support from more than 100 technology firms. Under the Linux Foundation's governance, the protocol is expected to remain vendor-neutral and open to community contributions.
"By joining the Linux Foundation, A2A is ensuring the long-term neutrality, collaboration and governance that will unlock the next era of agent-to-agent powered productivity," said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, in a statement.
Companies backing the initiative include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft, and ServiceNow. Many plan to embed the A2A protocol into their own AI infrastructure and tooling.
AWS said it would contribute to the project and support a broad set of agentic frameworks and services. Cisco's Outshift group, a founding member, will integrate A2A into several of its open source components related to messaging, identity, and observability. SAP and Salesforce echoed similar plans, with a focus on enabling interoperability between enterprise systems.
Microsoft, which is not listed as a founding member, said it welcomed the project and would collaborate on future development, citing a need for responsible, scalable deployment of AI agents.
For more information, visit the Linux Foundation site.
About the Author
John K. Waters is the editor in chief of a number of Converge360.com sites, with a focus on high-end development, AI and future tech. He's been writing about cutting-edge technologies and culture of Silicon Valley for more than two decades, and he's written more than a dozen books. He also co-scripted the documentary film Silicon Valley: A 100 Year Renaissance, which aired on PBS. He can be reached at [email protected].