Google, Microsoft, support x402 Foundation to scale AI-driven crypto payments
Big Tech firms have come together to support a new industry body focused on standardizing how AI agents handle payments across crypto and traditional platforms.
Summary
- Big Tech firms including Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services have supported the launch of the x402 Foundation to set up an AI-driven payment infrastructure.
- The Linux Foundation launched an initiative with Coinbase, placing the protocol under an open source and non-profit structure.
The Linux Foundation on Thursday announced the launch of the x402 Foundation, a management system built around the x402 protocol, with early support from companies including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services.
This project was developed with input from Coinbase, which originally introduced the x402 protocol. Many financial and blockchain firms have also signed early support, including American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Stripe, Circle, Solana Foundation, and Polygon Labs.
Support also comes from infrastructure and commerce platforms like Cloudflare and Shopify, as well as developer-focused firms like Thirdweb and regional payments provider KakaoPay.
According to Coinbase, placing the protocol under the Linux Foundation gives it a “neutral, non-profit home,” which could eventually help attract support from technology firms and developers compared to the company’s banner.
Jim Zemlin, CEO of the Linux Foundation, pointed to the Internet’s history of shared infrastructure, saying “the Internet was built on open protocols,” as he made the case for adopting a similar AI-driven payments model.
The x402 protocol is designed as an open standard that allows AI agents and web services to pay for themselves, including use cases such as paying for APIs, accessing data, or purchasing digital services without human intervention.
Momentum in this concept has been growing in line with expectations that machine-to-machine transactions could become a major force in the crypto payment industry.
Brian Armstrong recently said that “there will soon be more AI agents operating on the Internet than humans,” echoing earlier comments by Jeremy Allaire, who predicted that “literally billions of AI agents” could be operating on the chain within three to five years.
Similarly, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said that crypto is “the native currency of AI agents,” especially for automated payments from ticket purchases to recurring debts.
However, the work tied to the x402 protocol will still show steady growth. Data from Dune Analytics shows that usage fell late last year before tapering off.
Weekly job numbers rose to around 13.7 million during the week of Nov. 4–10, followed by another 13.66 million the following week. Activity has cooled, with weekly volumes ranging from around 29,000 million to 1.1 million so far in 2026, pointing to uneven uptake despite strong support from the industry’s biggest players.
