While Gemini 2.5 grabbed headlines, most conversations today revolved around agents and the launch of Agent Development Kit and Agent2Agent Protocol, establishing a multi-agent economy promising to transform how GCP and partners create value.

The timing couldn't be better

Recent Canalys research (thanks Jay McBain!) announced by Colleen Kapase revealed a staggering $7.05 partner revenue multiplier for every $1 of Google Cloud consumption – one of the highest partner leverages. This represents a massive service opportunity in the AI era, spanning consulting, architecture, implementation, and managed services.

Here are key partner themes that stood out:

Cross-Agent Communication Protocol

Google introduced an Agent2Agent Protocol enabling agents to communicate regardless of underlying model or framework - supported by partners across the multi-agent ecosystem.

Marketplace as the Central Hub

"You have access to these ISV solutions which are pre-integrated and easily deployed from Google Cloud Marketplace," CEO of Google Cloud emphasized to customers.

This positions Marketplace as the primary distribution channel for partner-built agents and AI solutions.

Services Partner Momentum

Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte, HCLTech, KPMG, TCS and Wipro all announced agent initiatives with Google Cloud. Partners are bringing industry-specific expertise to create thousands of specialized agents that extend Google's core technology.

The enterprise examples were equally compelling

Salesforce expanded its relationship with "Agentforce" powered by Gemini. Intuit leveraging Document AI; Deutsche Bank built an AI-powered research agent on Gemini/Vertex AI; and McDonald's is transforming operations with Edge Computing from GCP.

Openness and interoperability are core tenets of GCP strategy

Google's strategy stands out through openness and interoperability with existing customer IT, robust security (highlighted by the Wiz acquisition), and partner recognition.

Partnerships are explicitly recognized and valued

Numerous collaborations with major companies like Deloitte, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Samsung, Adobe, and service integrators like Accenture, Capgemini, etc. were highlighted.

This underscores Google Cloud's commitment to its partner ecosystem and signals opportunities for new and deeper collaborations.

The sheer scale of partners present today at Next and major announcements by key partners reinforces the potential of this collaborative approach.