Google Boosts A2A Protocol with gRPC, Security for Enterprise AI
Google has released Version 0.3 of its open-source Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol, introducing significant enhancements aimed at simplifying agent orchestration for enterprises. The update brings gRPC support, advanced security features including signed security cards, and deeper integration with Google’s Agent Development Kit (ADK). These additions are designed to make it easier for organizations to incorporate the A2A protocol into their AI agent workflows.
A key new feature is the integration of gRPC, another open-source framework developed by Google. gRPC facilitates high-performance communication between applications, even when they are distributed across different machines or written in various programming languages. According to Stephanie Walter, an analyst at HyperFRAME Research, gRPC's efficiency and multi-language support make it well-suited for complex, distributed applications. Dion Hinchcliffe, lead of the CIO practice at The Futurum Group, noted that gRPC's low-latency and high-throughput capabilities will enhance A2A's adaptability for real-time multi-agent orchestration. For enterprises, gRPC support means agents can interoperate over a widely adopted, language-agnostic protocol, simplifying integration with microservices and existing cloud-native architectures.
To boost enterprise adoption, Google has also fortified A2A's security with the introduction of signed security cards. This capability is crucial for developers and large corporations, particularly Fortune 500 companies, which require cryptographic proof of identity for agents before deployment. Paul Chada, co-founder of DoozerAI, an AI agent platform, emphasized that this feature addresses a critical need for trust and verification. Walter added that enhanced security helps enterprises enforce appropriate access control and runtime policies, protecting against potential reputational damage, exposure of trade secrets, or financial losses. It also allows developers to verify that any agent, especially those not developed internally, originates from a trusted source.
Furthermore, Google has integrated A2A directly with its open-source Agent Development Kit (ADK), a framework for building AI agents. This integration is expected to accelerate agent integration and composability for enterprises utilizing ADK. Chada explained that building A2A protocol support directly into ADK means agents developed with ADK automatically gain A2A communication capabilities, much like integrating a communication tool directly into a development framework. Google has also extended client-side support in the Python SDK integrated with ADK, making it easier for developers to create and manage A2A agents using Python. Hinchcliffe highlighted that this reduces development friction for enterprises, enabling teams to build, test, and deploy agentic workflows more rapidly within their existing AI toolchains.
To foster wider adoption, Google will now allow its partners to sell A2A-supported agents on its AI Agents Marketplace. The company is also enabling the evaluation of A2A-supported agent systems via the Vertex GenAI Evaluation Service.
A2A Versus MCP: A Protocol Comparison
When comparing A2A with the Model Context Protocol (MCP), another open-source protocol for inter-agent communication, experts offer divided opinions. Paul Chada suggests that MCP currently holds momentum in terms of ease of use and community adoption, while Dion Hinchcliffe points to MCP's broader vendor support and more ecosystem-neutral stance. Google, however, states it has over 150 partners actively building, codifying, and adopting A2A as a standard for AI agents.
Regarding specific use cases, Hinchcliffe believes A2A is better suited for agent ecosystems tightly integrated with Google’s technology stack, whereas MCP is more appropriate for multi-vendor, heterogeneous environments requiring interoperability across different models and vendors. Conversely, Chada argues that MCP excels in single-agent tool integration scenarios, while A2A is designed for the multi-agent orchestration that enterprises genuinely need. Chada summarized the current landscape by saying, "MCP is winning the developer mindshare race, but A2A has the enterprise partnerships that matter for large-scale deployments. The question is what users want: simplicity or enterprise features."
Despite these differing views, both experts agree that A2A offers superior security compared to MCP. Hinchcliffe noted that A2A provides stronger built-in security primitives, including signed security cards and leverage of Google’s zero-trust backbone, which simplifies the enforcement of secure agent interactions out-of-the-box for enterprises. While MCP's security is more flexible, he cautioned that it requires meticulous, vendor-specific implementation, which can introduce potential vulnerabilities.