2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for AI infrastructure ⚙️🤖

While everyone’s busy talking about AI agents, very few understand the protocols that actually power them. Two in particular are standing out this year. They’re not in competition. They’re working together to build the future of intelligent systems

MCP from Anthropic and A2A from Google are emerging as the foundational protocols behind the next wave of AI

🧠 MCP (Model Context Protocol) focuses on vertical integration It connects applications directly with AI models and tools

Think of it like the nervous system, linking your brain to your hands and eyes It solves limitations around context windows and creates a standard way for models to access external data and tools

🤝 A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol) is all about horizontal communication It allows different AI agents to talk to each other directly Imagine a team of experts working together, each with a different skillset, collaborating to solve complex problems

It solves interoperability issues and helps agents work together across departments, systems or even organisations

Each protocol has its own strengths and use cases

Use MCP when

📄 You’re building a document search or Q&A system 💻 You need a coding assistant or dev tool 📊 You want your AI to understand and act on personal data 🎯 You need precise control over what the model can see and do 🔹 Use A2A when 🔄 You’re building multi-agent workflows 🏢 You want agents to automate processes across departments 🌐 You’re exploring agent marketplaces or ecosystems 🧩 You’re solving complex problems that need collaboration

These protocols are picking up serious traction 📈

✅ MCP is backed by the big players including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google 🛠️ It’s developer-friendly, open-source and focused on connecting models with tools 👥 The community around it is growing fast ✅ A2A launched with over 50 enterprise partners already on board 📦 It’s built for business with strong multimodal capabilities and a focus on workflow integration 🏗️ It’s designed to work at enterprise scale

The smartest AI setups today don’t choose between MCP or A2A. They use both 🔧 MCP gives your models access to the right tools and data 🤖 A2A lets specialist agents work together, each playing to their strengths

It’s not one or the other. It’s layers working in harmony

Author

AiUTOMATING PEOPLE, ABN ASIA was founded by people with deep roots in academia, with work experience in the US, Holland, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. ABN Asia is where academia and technology meet opportunity. With our cutting-edge solutions and competent software development services, we're helping businesses level up and take on the global scene. Our commitment: Faster. Better. More reliable. In most cases: Cheaper as well.

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