IBM buys data streaming platform Confluent in $11 billion deal

The 2 companies said they signed a “definitive agreement” for IBM to get each of Confluent Inc.'s issued and outstanding communal banal for $31 per stock successful cash, which represents an endeavor worth of $11 billion.

Confluent, based successful Mountain View, Calif., is an unfastened root information streaming level that “connects, processes and governs" information and events successful existent time, the companies said successful a associated statement. It specializes successful preparing information for AI and keeping it “clean and connected crossed systems and applications," they said.

The woody means IBM's lawsuit companies tin deploy artificial quality services amended and faster “by providing trusted connection and information travel betwixt environments, applications and APIs,” IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said successful the statement. “Data is dispersed crossed nationalist and backstage clouds, information centers and countless exertion providers."

The transaction is expected to adjacent successful mid-2026. It inactive needs support from Confluent shareholders arsenic good arsenic clearance from regulators.

Confluent shares, which closed astatine $23.14 Friday, surged 29% successful premarket trading. Shares of IBM ticked down little than 1%.