Zhi Tong Cai Jing·2025-12-08 14:08Core Viewpoint - IBM announced the acquisition of data streaming platform Confluent for a total enterprise value of approximately $11 billion, including debt, with a per-share price of $31, corresponding to an equity value of about $9.3 billion [1] Group 1: Acquisition Details - The acquisition is expected to be completed by mid-2026 and will be IBM's largest strategic investment to date [1] - The focus of the acquisition is to enhance IBM's capabilities in real-time data streaming software, differentiating it from the recent AI acquisition trends centered around data centers and computing power [1] Group 2: Background and Collaboration - This transaction is built on a five-year collaboration between IBM and Confluent, during which some of IBM's clients have already utilized Confluent's data streaming platform [1]