IBM acquires Confluent in $11 billion deal to bolster AI, data streaming capabilities

IBM announced on Monday its agreement to acquire Confluent Inc., a leading data streaming platform, in a transaction valued at $11 billion to enhance IBM’s artificial intelligence capabilities.

Under the definitive agreement, IBM will purchase all outstanding common stock of Confluent at $31 per share in cash, reflecting an enterprise value of $11 billion.

Confluent, headquartered in Mountain View, California, offers an open-source platform that connects, processes, and governs data and events in real time. It specialises in preparing data for AI applications and ensuring data remains clean and connected across various systems and applications.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna highlighted that the acquisition will enable IBM’s clients to deploy AI services more efficiently by facilitating trusted communication and data flow across public and private clouds, data centres, and diverse technology providers.

The transaction is anticipated to close by mid-2026, pending regulatory approvals and Confluent shareholder consent.

Following the announcement, Confluent’s shares jumped 29% in premarket trading to $23.14, while IBM’s shares dipped by less than 1%.

With inputs from AP