TLDR: Google Cloud executives, speaking at Google Cloud Next 2025, emphasized that increased access to AI agents and advanced capabilities will be a crucial differentiator for channel partners. The company is investing heavily in an agentic AI ecosystem, including new protocols, marketplaces, and partner-specific AI tools, to drive partner profitability and address interoperability challenges in the AI landscape.
At Google Cloud Next 2025, held in April, Google Cloud executives underscored the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) agents and enhanced AI capabilities in distinguishing channel partners within the rapidly evolving tech landscape. The company is making significant investments to empower its partner ecosystem, aiming to solidify its leadership in AI.
Kevin Ichhpurani, Google Cloud’s global channel chief and president of its global partner ecosystem, asserted, “We are the undisputed leader in terms of AI.” He highlighted Google Cloud’s comprehensive push into AI agent development and implementation for its vast network of partners, addressing concerns about a ‘spaghetti nightmare’ of disparate AI agents from various vendors like Salesforce’s Agentforce, SAP’s Joule, and Workday’s agents. To combat this, Google Cloud introduced the Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol, a groundbreaking open standard enabling AI agents from different ecosystems to communicate, securely exchange information, and coordinate actions across platforms such as Atlassian, Box, Salesforce, and SAP. This makes Google the first hyperscaler to offer such interoperability.
Driving partner profitability is a core objective. Colleen Kapase, Google Cloud Vice President of channels and partner programs, stated, “We’re not just talking about how customers are using AI, we’re using it internally to make the partner experience better,” adding, “We’re using AI to help partners increase their profitability.” New channel-specific AI tools include a support AI agent designed to streamline partner operations, providing instant responses on incentives, partner tier levels, training, and quick approval of statements of work (SOWs). Additionally, an AI Delivery Navigator tool assists partners in structuring SOWs for specific customer sizes.
Google Cloud has also launched a dedicated AI Agent Marketplace within its Google Cloud Marketplace, allowing customers to easily discover, purchase, deploy, and manage AI agents built by channel partners. This initiative enables partners to create industry-specific agents and monetize them. The company’s Agentspace serves as a central hub for managing these agents, with enhancements like integration with Google Chrome and an Agent Gallery showcasing available AI agents from Google, partners, and internal teams. An open-source Agent Development Kit (ADK) has also been released to simplify agent creation.
Furthermore, Google Cloud is strengthening its partnerships, notably with NVIDIA. Sachin Gupta, VP and GM of infrastructure and solutions at Google Cloud, announced a collaboration to deliver secure, on-premises agentic AI capabilities using Google Gemini models and NVIDIA’s Blackwell HGX and DGX platforms, incorporating NVIDIA Confidential Computing for data privacy. This partnership aims to remove barriers to AI adoption for regulated industries by ensuring data control and security.
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To ensure widespread adoption and effective utilization, Google Cloud’s entire global sales team is undergoing mandatory training on co-selling with partners and services registration. John Pettit, Chief Technology Officer at Google Cloud partner Promevo, expressed optimism, stating, “We’re very bullish right now on the changes they’re making for partners and the AI they’re enabling for us.” These strategic moves position Google Cloud and its partners to lead the next generation of AI-driven enterprise applications, directly challenging competitors by leveraging Google’s strengths in AI research, custom hardware, and global infrastructure.
