Microsoft rolled out major AI Cloud Partner Program enhancements tied to its fiscal FY26 launch. A key initiative is MCAPS Start for Partners, introducing two new device-driven designations for Copilot+ PCs and modern Windows devices, targeting AI hardware enablement for SMB growth.

At Build 2025, Microsoft spotlighted deep AI integrations across Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and GitHub Copilot, plus partner-led GTM alliances with OpenAI, Nvidia, and Grok 3.5. Microsoft also expanded incentives for partners of up to 70% YOY, Copilot-specific partner incentives with funding up by 50%, and simplified its co-sell deal registration. 

For partners, Copilot is rapidly emerging as a significant strategic differentiator. They are benefiting from accelerated customer adoption, enhanced productivity and margins, differentiated value proposition, and strategic market positioning 

Microsoft is evolving its AI-powered vision into actionable plans for partners and a go-to-market approach around three solution areas that provide a scalable, repeatable framework for how partners engage across industries, segments, and geographies:

We will provide more details on the Microsoft GTM with partners and a deep dive on new partner initiatives and partner programs, so stay tuned. 

What this means for partnerships: AI is creating new opportunities for partners, but speed is a key success factor. Partner teams must quickly align with designation criteria and API upgrades. Longer-term, Copilot ecosystems and AI-native Windows devices present monetization paths for OEMs, CSPs, and solution providers. Microsoft’s aggressive Copilot rollout unlocks recurring services opportunities across devices, developer tools, and SMB bundles—putting qualified partners in prime position to capture AI-powered growth.

Google reported 32% YoY Google Cloud growth to $13.6B in Q2, largely fueled by its infrastructure partnership with OpenAI, which now uses Google Cloud for ChatGPT globally.

At Google Cloud Next 2025 and I/O, the company launched tools like Ironwood TPU, Vertex AI Agent Engine, Project Astra, and Gemini 2.5, enabling ecosystem integration for ISVs and GSIs. The Gemini chatbot hit 450M MAUs, and AI Overviews are live for B2B users.

What this means for partners: Google’s open-platform approach creates new territory for partners to innovate on multi-modal agent infrastructure, leverage Vertex AI APIs, and build data-rich AI experiences at scale. With massive user adoption, Google’s platform opens up embedded co-sell motions and specialized build opportunities for partners who develop on Gemini and Vertex AI foundations, especially across CX, search, and app modernization

Red Hat launched its Specialized Partner Program with a new AI Platform specialization, allowing solution providers to differentiate through open-source AI infrastructure offerings. The new Partner Demand Center allows partners to autonomously manage events and campaigns with real-time insights and offers AI-powered content localization and campaign performance tracking.

Enhanced rebates and simplification of enablement tools further reduce barriers for partner-led demand generation.

What this means for partnerships: Red Hat is shifting from top-down enablement to partner-driven execution, with autonomy, AI awareness, and vertical-specific marketing campaigns embedded. These changes empower partners to take ownership of demand generation and build vertical AI offers more effectively, while leveraging Red Hat's open-source reputation to expand into enterprise automation.Red Hat: AI Specialization and Autonomous Marketing for Partners

C3 AI disclosed that 62% of Q2 deals were partner-driven, with a 20x increase in Google Cloud-led deals YoY. The company noted that nearly all public-sector wins involved a partner-led GTM model. The extended Capgemini alliance focuses on building a dedicated C3 AI global practice. Key joint wins span energy, manufacturing, and defense.

What this means for partnerships: Enterprise AI execution is becoming partner-led. C3 AI’s growth-through-partners model enables GSIs and vertical SIs to accelerate AI transformation in regulated and complex industries. Their strategic approach allows for faster scaling, localized delivery, and embedded co-sell opportunities with hyperscalers like Google Cloud.

Cohere expanded its ecosystem with SAP AI Core integration, a Dell infrastructure deal, and vertical automation partnerships in healthcare with Ensemble Health. It also grew public-sector reach in Canada and the UK.

What this means: Cohere is shaping itself as the secure LLM layer of enterprise AI. The company’s flexible deployment options and compliance-first infrastructure position it well in healthcare, financial services, and government sectors. Partners benefit from its neutrality and verticalized solution potential, particularly when embedded with Dell, SAP, and Ensemble Health integrations. Partners gain opportunities through platform integrations, infrastructure embedding, and vertical market tailoring.

AWS invested $100 million in its Generative AI Innovation Center, launching the AI Partner Innovation Alliance, a curated SI / consultancy network driving AI deployments at scale. AWS unveiled a new AI Agents and Tools category in its Marketplace, simplifying procurement and deployment of agentic software by partner vendors.

Amazon’s partnership with Anthropic is projected to yield $1.28 billion in AWS revenue in 2025, scaling to $5.6 billion by 2027, driven by Anthropic’s reliance on Trainium chips and AWS infrastructure.

AWS also deepened co-sell relationships with companies like Pegasystems, integrating Bedrock and AWS Transform into Pega Blueprint.

What this means: AWS is positioning partners at the core of AI platform growth via marketplace, infrastructure GTM, and co-innovation alliances. The Innovation Center unlocks access to reference architectures and use case blueprints. The Marketplace’s new Agents & Tools category also streamlines visibility and distribution for partner-built AI applications. Partners gain access to agent frameworks, capital, and designations that align to their delivery and deployment models.

Oracle's CloudWorld 2025 sessions focused on the AI Data Platform, Agentic AI, DB23ai, and Oracle Customer Success Services. These strategic updates were offered to top partner executives, reinforcing Oracle’s ecosystem-first model.

What this means for partners: Oracle is preparing its partner ecosystem to co-deliver next-gen AI services and enterprise adoption aligned with its agentic infrastructure. Partners who focus on multicloud architecture, performance optimization, and vertical compliance will find new traction in Oracle’s AI data pipeline strategy. next-gen AI services and enterprise adoption aligned with its agentic infrastructure.

Salesforce launched Agentforce for Partner Community in March 2025, handling 1,400 partner queries weekly across 120,000 monthly users. The initiative helps free up 75% of partner operations time.

Salesforce is also integrating Informatica’s MDM capabilities into Agentforce and has announced its $8 billion acquisition of Informatica to control the AI data stack.

What this means for partnerships: Salesforce is embedding AI across its partner-facing stack. With Agentforce handling front-line interactions and Informatica enriching backend data, partners now have a robust AI fabric to work within. These tools reduce friction in partner operations while enabling a more intelligent and automated GTM motion across Salesforce's ecosystem. Partners benefit through enhanced tooling, cleaner data, and expanded co-innovation around Agentforce workflows.

ServiceNow posted 22% YoY revenue growth to $3.215 billion in Q2 2025, driven by its acquisition of Moveworks and increased large enterprise AI deals. Customers generating over $5M ARR reached 528.

ServiceNow expanded its global Partner Program in early 2025, introducing quadrupled investment in AI incentives, new GenAI specializations, and a recognition award for “GenAI Customer Value Partner of the Year.” They elevated Infosys and Cognizant to Global Elite status, underscoring high-impact capabilities in AI transformation projects.

At Q2 earnings, ServiceNow disclosed subscription revenue of $3.11 billion (22.5% YoY) and noted that 17 of its top 20 deals included Workflow Data Fabric, signaling tight alignment between AI enablement and partner-led deployment.

What this means: AI enablement is already having a big impact and paying off. Sales, implementation, and consulting partners can now support distinct GenAI verticals - Customer Experience, Employee Experience, cybersecurity, and ServiceOps - with AI-enabled PLAs and specializations. Elevated partners like Infosys and Cognizant gain marketing credibility and co-sell clout, while the Workflow Data Fabric requirement creates opportunity for partners to architect data-enabled, AI-ready transformation pipelines. ServiceNow’s Now Assist AI tools and post-acquisition scale present strong alignment opportunities for partner-led enterprise modernization projects. With large deal growth and a sharpened focus on automation, partners can capitalize on prebuilt workflows and high-touch service integrations to deliver tangible productivity outcomes.

At its Snowflake Summit 2025, the company unveiled significant partner program updates to strengthen its ecosystem. Enhancements included streamlined partner services registration tied to specific use cases, a new Services Registration Incentive (SRI) to accelerate customer adoption, and a revised tiering model designed to scale with partner growth. Snowflake celebrated 33 global partners for their AI Data Cloud contributions. The company emphasized ISV growth, co-innovation, and vertical AI applications.

Snowflake expanded its technology alliances to strengthen AI use cases across industries and appointed Chris Niederman (ex-AWS) as its new SVP of Alliances & Channels, signaling a stronger emphasis on partner-led go-to-market expansion.

For SI, ISV, and consulting partners, this means:

In terms of new leadership:

CrowdStrike expanded its AWS partnership, launching Falcon-MCP and AI Red Team Services in the AWS Marketplace. It also revamped its Accelerate Partner Program, which now accounts for 60% of new business via the Falcon platform.

CrowdStrike joined Nvidia’s Enterprise AI Factory, helping secure AI model pipelines and infrastructure through embedded cybersecurity tooling.

What this means: AI-native security is critical for every GTM motion. CrowdStrike partners gain strategic differentiation by securing enterprise AI adoption pathways. With validated architecture alongside AWS and Nvidia, partners are now in position to lead conversations around AI trust, compliance, and lifecycle security, particularly in regulated and data-sensitive sectors.

Cisco rolled out its Cisco 360 Partner Program, shifting to a value-based model with two designations—Cisco Partner and Cisco Preferred Partner—aligned by specialization, including a new AI‑Ready Infrastructure track.

They introduced the Partner Incentive Estimator to help partners assess profitability, and at Enterprise Connect 2025, Cisco launched Webex AI Agent and Assistant for Webex Contact Center, integrated with Salesforce and ServiceNow.

Cisco is equipping partners with a simpler, value-centric partner framework and tools to model profitability while enabling them to build agentic AI-powered collaboration workflows.

IBM enhanced its Partner Plus program with AI-driven enablement, tooling, and consulting accelerators, as it reported AI-related revenue surpassing $7.5B.

At its Think event, IBM highlighted watsonx Orchestrate platform updates with over 150 pre-built domain agents, and ecosystem integrations with SAP, AWS, and Adobe. IBM aims to drive 80% of business through partners within 5 years.

What this means: IBM is embedding AI into every partner interaction and product. Partners gain opportunity in co-building agentic workflows, scaling watsonx solutions, and leading AI transformation across regulated industries.