IBM reportedly in talks to acquire data infrastructure company Confluent for $11 billion

IBM is all set to acquire Confluent. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, IBM is in advanced negotiations to acquire data infrastructure company Confluent. The deal is said to be estimated at $11 billion.

The potential acquisition underscores IBM’s push to strengthen its position in cloud computing and data management, areas that have become increasingly critical as enterprises accelerate digital transformation. While the report has not yet been independently verified, it suggests that IBM is prepared to make one of its largest deals in recent years.Confluent was founded by the creators of Apache Kafka and the company specialises in real-time data streaming platforms.

Confluent helps the companies to manage and process data flows across applications. The technology of Confluent is used in various industries ranging from finance to retail. The company enable the businesses to harness data in motion for analytics, customer engagement, and operational efficiency.

Strategic implications for IBM

As per the WSJ report, if the IBM-Confluent deal is finalises that it would mark a significant expansion of IBM’s hybrid cloud and AI strategy. By integrating Confluent’s streaming data capabilities, IBM could enhance offerings in:

The move would also position IBM more competitively against hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, which have invested heavily in real-time data solutions.