Welcome to the 'Agent Ecosystem': MACH Alliance unites tech leaders to build the future of enterprise AI
Announced today, the industry body has assembled over 40 leading enterprise technology companies committed to building one of the first true agentic AI ecosystems. Here's why it matters.
The “Internet of Agents” is coming. Are we ready for it?
Maybe. Maybe not.
If you're feeling more of the latter, that’s OK. Things are changing so rapidly, it’s almost impossible to keep up – especially when we add new acronyms and phrases penetrating our tech lexicon.
But this is one worth paying attention to, because it's a big part of the impetus for the MACH Alliance's focus on AI. I’ve written extensively about the industry body’s pivot to agentic advocacy, starting before “The Composable Conference” earlier this year and steamrolling ever since.
A lot has transpired since then, but much of it has clarified the MACH Alliance’s efforts to champion openness, agility, and adaptability in the AI era. They've also been vocal about their intention to unlock the frontier of agent-to-agent interactions and how composable architectures will be key to realizing this transformation.
Now, the organization is applying its foundational knowledge and resources to build an “Agent Ecosystem,” reflecting a collaborative and shared commitment of 45 enterprise technology providers.
This new ecosystem – one of the first of its kind – will provide an interoperable, composable environment in which SaaS and AI-native tools connect to deliver trusted solutions, accelerate innovation, and unlock new avenues of value across industries. The initial goals of the ecosystem will focus on experience, customer data, and commerce infrastructure.
The timing is critical. Enterprises are hustling to capture the value of agentic strategies. There have been major gains, but many are still swimming against a morass of subpar results from their AI initiatives. In fact, a recent MIT study found that 95% of generative AI projects in companies fail to deliver a measurable impact or lead to rapid revenue growth.
Along with the dour outcomes, there’s still a mountain of hype and plenty of AI washing to contend with – and this is where proven expertise and guidance can make an impact. According to Amanda Cole, CMO at Bloomreach and MACH Alliance Executive Board member, enterprises are in the trough of this accelerated technology hype cycle. But from her perspective, technology companies have an opportunity to do things differently this time.
“By focusing on delivering outcomes aligned with their clients' tech ecosystems and business objectives instead of emphasizing their own independent differentiation, technology companies can embrace the agentic era with tangible results for real companies,” she said. This is where the MACH Alliance can once again play a role in supporting success.
The list of enterprise technology companies pledging support for the Agent Ecosystem continues to expand. The Alliance is also doubling down on its openness by inviting supporters from both within and beyond its organization to participate.
An Agent Ecosystem built on MACH principles
The MACH Alliance is the de facto industry authority on composable enterprise architecture, and has vocally established its goal of shaping and supporting the evolution of AI.
Building on its principles of openness, it’s no surprise to learn that the Alliance believes that the coming “Internet of Agents” will not emerge from a single vendor’s platform. The Agent Ecosystem reflects that tenet, enabling the Alliance’s member organizations to unite around shared standards and trust and give enterprise brands the freedom and flexibility to thrive in the AI era.
“While some technology providers envision a single platform to rule them all, we believe the future of enterprise AI will not be defined by a single agent, platform, or vendor,” said Jason Cottrell, CEO of Orium and President of the MACH Alliance. “It will be powered by hundreds of specialized agents working together in harmony. To get there, the enterprise community must unite now around open standards before fragmentation takes hold.”
Leveraging collaboration to drive enterprise success
According to the MACH Alliance, the Agent Ecosystem isn’t just another standard. Rather, it’s intended to be a truly interoperable ecosystem with actionable tools and resources. This includes collaboratively produced reference architectures, operating patterns, and enterprise-scale proofs that turn interoperability into impact.
The MACH Alliance is working closely with a number of key players and initiatives integral to the future of AI. This encompasses standard bodies, its hyperscaler supporters including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AI labs, emerging protocols, and open source initiatives.
Additionally, the organization is working in tandem with its members that are active pioneers behind standards like Agent2Agent Protocol (A2A), Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), and Agent Payments Protocol (AP2).
The Agent Ecosystem was partly inspired by the AGNTCY initiative, which is defining critical infrastructure for the “Internet of Agents.” Multiple Alliance members already support AGNTCY, including Bloomreach, Google, MongoDB, Netlify, Orium, Pipe17, Stripe,Valtech, and Vercel. Additionally, AGNTCY will provide a key perspective in the Alliance’s upcoming events and thought leadership.
The technology companies leading this charge, which are initial supporters of the Agent Ecosystem, include:
- AI Infrastructure Platforms: EverWorker, Mastra, and Maven AGI
- Cloud Enablers: Netlify and Vercel
- Systems Integrators: Accenture Song, Aries Solutions, Deloitte Digital, IONA, Orium, Publicis Sapient, Valtech, and WPP
- Independent Software Vendors: Akeneo, Algolia, Amplitude, Bloomreach, Braze, Bynder,Cloudinary, Commerce, Commerce Layer, commercetools,Conscia, Contentstack, Coveo, Dynamic Yield, Eagle Eye, EIS, ESW, Fluent Commerce, Kibo, Mapp, Marketplacer,Markup AI, Patchworks, PhaseZero, Pipe17, Stripe, Uniform, Voucherify, Workato, Wyng,Xiatech, and Zapier
If you’re interested in learning more or even lending your support to the Agent Ecosystem initiative, check out www.agentecosystem.org
Why it matters
I’ve beaten the drum at the MACH Alliance to build on the composable momentum and develop more actionable tools and resources. This has been manifesting with programs like the Open Data Model, but the development of an Agent Ecosystem is a tipping point towards realizing a game-changing model that helps instrument organizations – and the market at large – for the opportunities and challenges of the coming “Internet of Agents.”
We need it. Given the confusion and issues arising from the rush to agentic, having a destination and a community of interest that is united around shaping the future trajectory is key. The fact that it is being built as a composable, interoperable environment reinforces the core pillars of MACH while providing a flexible firmament needed to experiment and ideate in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
While the initial focus will encompass experience, customer data, and commerce, we can expect this bench to grow in general SaaS directions, enabling AI-native tools across a multitude of use cases and categories to connect and validate that their agents are capable of collaborating in real-world production. This open, trusted framework could be the key to avoiding a fragmented future of proprietary agent solutions – and deliver a more seamless experience.
Finally, a point on openness. While the Alliance has often been criticized for its insular posture, the fact that it is opening the gates and inviting supporters from outside its walled garden is a testament to how expansive it views the “Internet of Agents,” and how pivotal a moment this is for the entire market.
Enthusiasm aside, there are still many questions about how this initiative will unfold – and we’ll be watching. One thing is certain: the “Internet of Agents” is coming, and the swells will be huge. But together, we have a better shot at navigating the waves.
In other words, a rising tide lifts all boats.
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