IBM to Acquire Confluent for Enterprise Generative AI Platform

IBM and Confluent, Inc., the pioneer in data streaming technology, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which IBM will acquire all issued and outstanding Confluent shares for $31 per share, valuing the deal at $11 billion. Confluent delivers one of the industry’s leading open-source enterprise data streaming platforms that connects, processes, and governs real-time, reliable data essential for developing and deploying AI systems.

IDC forecasts that more than a billion new logical applications will be created by 2028, transforming IT architectures across industries. To power innovation, AI systems and next-generation applications must access connected, trusted, and real-time data. IBM’s acquisition of Confluent aims to provide seamless integration of applications, analytics, data platforms, and AI agents—ensuring intelligence and resilience across hybrid cloud environments.

Highlighting the strategic value, Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman, president and CEO, stated:

"IBM and Confluent together will enable enterprises to deploy generative and agentic AI better and faster by providing trusted communication and data flow between environments, applications and APIs. Data is spread across public and private clouds, datacenters and countless technology providers. With the acquisition of Confluent, IBM will provide the smart data platform for enterprise IT, purpose-built for AI."

Confluent CEO Jay Kreps emphasized the company’s mission and future vision:

"Since its founding, Confluent has helped organizations unlock the full potential of their data, driving innovation in an increasingly complex IT landscape. We are extremely proud of the work we've done in providing clients with a real-time data streaming platform for the next era of technology, including generative and agentic AI. We are excited by the potential to join IBM and to accelerate our strategy with IBM's go-to-market expertise, global scale and extensive portfolio. I look forward to the future we will build together as Confluent becomes part of IBM."

Confluent’s platform plays a crucial role in helping organizations manage data scattered across hybrid environments. Its streaming technology prepares data for AI by keeping it clean, consistent, and connected—eliminating data silos that hinder agentic AI performance. The company’s market opportunity has doubled over the past four years and is expected to reach $100 billion by 2025.

IBM views Confluent as a natural strategic fit, strengthening its hybrid cloud and AI portfolio. As data volumes continue to grow exponentially, enterprises increasingly rely on IBM for simplified integration, automation, and modernization. Confluent’s capabilities complement IBM’s Data and Automation suite, building on the company’s long-standing commitment to open-source innovation.

This acquisition is expected to bring our products and services together in a way that strengthens IBM’s AI, automation, data, and consulting solutions. IBM anticipates accelerated revenue growth and operational efficiencies thanks to Confluent’s scale and expertise.

Based in Mountain View, CA, Confluent works with over 6,500 clients, including nearly half of the Fortune 500. The company collaborates with leading tech providers like AWS, Microsoft, GCP, Snowflake, and Anthropic, fitting seamlessly into IBM’s open technology ecosystem.

Built on Apache Kafka®, Confluent offers multiple deployment options, including the fully managed Confluent Cloud, the self-managed Confluent Platform, the hybrid WarpStream, and the enterprise-focused Confluent Private Cloud—giving organizations flexible, secure ways to operationalize real-time data streaming.

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