Xin Lang Cai Jing·2025-12-08 05:02Core Viewpoint - IBM is in advanced talks to acquire data infrastructure company Confluent for approximately $11 billion to enhance its ability to capture the growing demand for cloud services [1][2]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition of Confluent, which is an open-source platform for processing massive real-time data streams, is expected to be announced as early as Monday [1][2]. - Confluent's market capitalization is approximately $8.09 billion, while IBM's market capitalization is around $287.84 billion [1][2]. Group 2: Market Context - There is a surge in demand for data infrastructure companies driven by enterprises racing to develop generative artificial intelligence (GAI) [2][3]. - In May, Salesforce agreed to acquire software manufacturer Informatica for about $8 billion to enhance its AI capabilities, indicating a trend in the industry [2][3]. Group 3: IBM's Strategic Focus - IBM's acquisition strategy is a key focus for meeting investor expectations, with a previous acquisition of HashiCorp for $6.4 billion aimed at expanding its cloud-based services [3]. - Under CEO Arvind Krishna's leadership, IBM has intensified its focus on software business to leverage increased spending on cloud services [3].