IBM on Monday announced a major acquisition to strengthen its artificial intelligence capabilities, agreeing to buy data streaming platform Confluent in a cash deal valued at $11 billion.The US technology major said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all issued and outstanding common stock of Confluent Inc. for $31 per share in cash, implying an enterprise value of $11 billion, according to a joint statement by the two companies, reported AP.Based in Mountain View, California, Confluent operates an open-source data streaming platform that connects, processes and governs data in real time. The platform specialises in preparing data for AI applications and keeping it clean and connected across systems and applications, the companies said.IBM chief executive Arvind Krishna said the acquisition would help client companies deploy artificial intelligence services faster and more effectively by enabling trusted data movement across environments, applications and APIs. “Data is spread across public and private clouds, data centres and countless technology providers,” he said.The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026, subject to approval from Confluent shareholders and regulatory clearances. Following the announcement, Confluent shares surged 29% in premarket trading, while IBM stock slipped less than 1%, the report added.
