IBM in Talks to Buy Confluent in $11 Billion Deal: Report
A potential deal would give IBM a premium-priced data-streaming asset as it pushes deeper into cloud and AI.
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IBM is in advanced talks to buy data-streaming firm Confluent in a transaction valued at about $11 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The proposed deal could be announced as soon as Monday, though neither company has confirmed the talks publicly.
Confluent provides a data-streaming platform, built on open-source technologies, that handles large volumes of real-time data, such as financial transactions or web activity.
With a market capitalization of about $8.1 billion, Confluent would carry a significant premium in the deal against its current valuation; IBM, by comparison, is valued at around $288 billion.
Reuters reported in October that Confluent had begun weighing a possible sale and hired an investment bank after receiving interest from potential buyers.
If completed, the acquisition would bolster IBM’s cloud and real-time data portfolio, a strategic move as demand grows for infrastructure underpinning AI and real-time computing.
IBM’s acquisition plans remain under close watch after its $6.4 billion purchase of HashiCorp last year.
