Big tech firms are now locked in what analysts call the next platform war, centred on AI agents and partner ecosystems, according to a piece of analysis from Omdia. 

Hyperscalers and independent software vendors (ISVs) are racing to build dominant agent marketplaces that let companies discover, deploy and manage autonomous AI agents that drive their operations.

The competition is fierce. Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google, Salesforce, IBM, Oracle, Databricks, Snowflake and others are investing billions to expand their AI partner ecosystems. 

These companies are offering accelerators, funding and co-creation programmes to help partners build, distribute and scale AI agents.

Microsoft’s Enhanced AI Cloud Partner Programme, for instance, gives strong incentives to partners working on Copilot and AI. 

At the same time, its marketplace is evolving to host cloud solutions, AI apps and agents in one place. 

AWS has announced a $100 million fund dedicated to agentic AI development, along with go-to-market support and enhanced listings in its AI Agent Marketplace. 

Google Cloud has expanded its Partner Advantage programme to create specific tracks for agent developers, offering co-marketing and technical support while backing its Agent Marketplace with substantial investment.

Other players are also pushing hard. Salesforce’s Agentforce Partner Network supports agent development with revenue-share programmes and vertical-specific funding. 

ServiceNow is accelerating industry-specific agents, especially for IT, HR and finance workflows. 

IBM is backing its partners via Watsonx Orchestrate, providing tools and a catalog for domain-specific agents. 

Oracle is using its cloud infrastructure to let partners build industry-specific AI agents. 

Databricks, Snowflake, Workday, SAP, Adobe and HubSpot are also building out agent ecosystems on their platforms. 

Omdia argues that this war will be won not just by the company with the most advanced technology, but by the one with the deepest and most specialised partner network. 

The global opportunity is enormous. Omdia points to a $267 billion market for agentic AI and AI services, with partners playing a vital role in defining the winning ecosystems.