The next platform war – The race to be the winning agentic AI ecosystem

The next platform war is centered on AI agents and AI partner ecosystems. Partners and ISVs are critical for driving agentic AI adoption, and they face strategic decisions on which platforms to prioritize for investment. This blog examines the all-out race to build the leading agent marketplace and the unique programs hyperscalers are offering, such as accelerators and funding, to accelerate partner-led innovation.

The next platform war is not about cloud; it is about AI agents and partner ecosystems. Hyperscalers and ISVs are in an all-out race to build the leading agent marketplace, where businesses can discover, deploy, and manage AI agents that power their operations. Partners are a critical part of this strategy and play a key role in driving the adoption of agentic AI.

Microsoft, AWS, Google, Salesforce, IBM, Oracle, Databricks, Snowflake, and others are investing billions in this race and expanding their AI partner ecosystems. Hyperscalers are offering new co-creation programs, accelerators, funding, recruitment, and enablement programs for partners to accelerate the creation, distribution, and long-term adoption of their agent and AI offerings. 

The agentic AI ecosystem battle

• Microsoft: Microsoft’s enhanced AI Cloud Partner Program gives substantial Copilot/AI incentives and enablement for partners to help accelerate AI adoption and build agents. Microsoft’s newly launched Microsoft Marketplace is a single destination to find, try, buy, and deploy cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents.
• Amazon Web Services: AWS is investing in AI accelerators and incentives and has announced a $100 million investment fund specifically for agentic AI development with prioritized go-to-market support and enhanced marketplace listings. AWS’s AI Agent Marketplace features agent discovery and deployment across multiple foundation models.
• Google Cloud: Google Cloud has expanded its Partner Advantage program with specialized tracks for agent builders and integrators, including technical enablement and enhanced co-marketing and co-selling programs. The AI Agent Marketplace is designed as a central hub for agent discovery, purchase, and deployment, and Google Cloud has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to enable partners to deliver AI solutions.
• Salesforce: Salesforce’s Agentforce Partner Network offers specialized enablement, enhanced revenue-share programs, and co-build funds for agents and encourages vertical-specific builds. The AgentExchange platform extends AppExchange to enable customers to discover, try, and buy trusted partner Agentforce solutions.
• ServiceNow: ServiceNow offers partners verticalized co-creation incentives to accelerate industry-specific agent development and marketplace placement. The AI Agent Marketplace within the ServiceNow Store is focused on workflow automation agents for IT, HR, and Finance.
• IBM: IBM Agent Connect Partner Program provides technical resources, go-to-market support, and revenue-sharing opportunities for partners building specialized AI agents on watsonx Orchestrate. The Agent Catalog within watsonx Orchestrate enables enterprise customers to discover and deploy domain-specific agents that integrate with their IBM ecosystem.
• Oracle: Oracle’s AI Agent ecosystem leverages OCI Generative AI’s multi-model capabilities and OCI AI Agent Platform to empower partners to build industry-specific solutions. Partners receive specialized AI tracks and enablement resources to accelerate agent development in Oracle Cloud Marketplace.

Others to watch:

• Databricks: Databricks’ Agent Accelerator Program provides partners with technical resources, co-selling opportunities, and marketplace promotion for building data-intensive agents on the Databricks Lakehouse platform. The Agent Bricks Marketplace enables enterprises to discover and deploy partner-built agents that leverage their proprietary data assets within Databricks.
• Snowflake: Snowflake’s AI Partner Network offers specialized enablement, technical resources, and go-to-market support for partners building data-centric agents on the Snowflake Data Cloud. The Cortex Agent Marketplace within Snowflake Marketplace enables customers to discover and deploy partner-built agents that operate securely within their Snowflake environment.
• Workday: Workday’s AI Partner Ecosystem provides specialized training, certification paths, and co-innovation funding for partners building HR and finance-focused agents on the Workday AI platform. The Workday Agent Hub within Workday Marketplace features partner-developed agents that enhance core HR, finance, and planning processes while maintaining Workday’s security and compliance standards.
• SAP: SAP’s Business AI Partner Program offers technical enablement, go-to-market support, and revenue-sharing opportunities for partners building industry and line-of-business agents on the SAP Business Technology Platform. The SAP Agent Store within SAP Store showcases partner-built agents that extend SAP’s enterprise applications with specialized AI capabilities across finance, supply chain, and customer experience.
• Adobe: Adobe’s Experience Cloud Partner Program now includes specialized AI agent tracks with development resources and certification paths for partners building content and experience-focused agents. The Adobe Experience Platform Agent Gallery showcases partner-built agents that leverage Adobe’s content, commerce, and customer data capabilities.
• Hubspot: Hubspot’s AI Partner Program offers co-marketing, technical enablement, and marketplace promotion for partners building specialized agents for marketing, sales, and service automation. The HubSpot Agent Marketplace within the App Marketplace features partner-built agents that extend HubSpot’s CRM platform with specialized capabilities.

As the AI agent ecosystem war intensifies, partners face strategic decisions - which platforms to prioritize for investment and specialization, and which ecosystems will deliver the greatest long-term value and market access. Partners who strategically align with the right platforms and develop differentiated capabilities within those ecosystems stand to capture disproportionate value from the US $267 billion AI and agentic AI services opportunity.

The winners of the new platform war will be determined not only by technological superiority but also by the depth, breadth, and specialization of their partner ecosystems. For vendors, attracting, enabling, and incentivizing the right partners has become a key factor in capturing market share in the agentic AI era.