New Referral-Based Program Offers ISVs Path to Growth on Akamai's Globally Distributed Cloud PlatformCAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today announced the launch of ISV Catalyst, a new partner program designed specifically for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to accelerate growth through strategic partnership. ISV Catalyst is a referral-based partner program ...

Core Insights - Oracle reported a record-breaking Remaining Performance Obligation (RPO) of $523 billion, reflecting a significant increase of $68 billion from the last quarter and a 433% increase year-over-year [3][4] - Despite the impressive RPO figures, Oracle's stock has seen a decline of 13.5%, raising questions about the sustainability of its growth strategy [2] - A substantial portion, 43%, of the RPO is expected to be implemented in 2026, amounting to $225 billion, which may help offset the company's planned capital expenditures of around $50 billion [4][10] Financial Performance - Oracle's cloud business, particularly its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), has shown strong growth, with a year-over-year increase of 66%, and GPU-related cloud revenue surged by 177% [12] - The company is financing its growth through debt, which raises concerns about the sustainability of its core business [8][9] Competitive Landscape - Oracle is entering a competitive market dominated by major players like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, which have established themselves as early movers in AI and cloud services [7][15] - There are concerns that Oracle may be overestimating its ability to compete with these hyperscalers, especially given its late entry into the AI space [16] Market Dynamics - The RPO surge may not translate into immediate cash flow, as over 75% of these obligations are set to start within 24 months, leading to skepticism about the actual realization of these contracts [9][18] - Analysts are urged to focus on the profitability and sustainability of the businesses behind the $523 billion RPO commitments, rather than solely on Oracle's core operations [17][19]

Core Insights - Oracle has launched Oracle Database@Google Cloud in Canada, enabling customers to utilize Oracle's AI Database services while ensuring data residency compliance [1][2] - The service allows integration with Google Cloud's analytics and AI tools, enhancing decision-making and business insights [2][3] - A new reseller program enables Google Cloud and Oracle partners to offer this service, simplifying procurement for customers [1][6] Group 1: Service Features - Oracle Database@Google Cloud provides access to Oracle Exadata Database Service, Oracle Autonomous AI Database, and Oracle Autonomous AI Lakehouse, all designed for high performance and scalability [4][5] - The Oracle Autonomous AI Database automates critical tasks using AI and ML, supporting over 48 billion queries per hour [4][9] - Oracle Autonomous AI Lakehouse integrates with various data platforms, including Google BigQuery, facilitating enterprise-wide AI and analytics [4][5] Group 2: Market Positioning - The launch addresses the growing demand for multicloud architectures in Canada, providing reliability and performance [3][8] - The service supports IT modernization initiatives, allowing organizations to leverage existing Google Cloud commitments [6][7] - New regional availability in Toronto complements existing Google Cloud regions, with plans for further expansion in the next 12 months [8]

Group 1 - The Nasdaq composite experienced a five-day winning streak following a sharp sell-off on November 20, surpassing its 21-day exponential moving average and 50-day line [1] - Several stocks on the Investor's Business Daily Leaderboard, including Alphabet (GOOGL), Globus Medical (GMED), and Kinross Gold (KGC), reached all-time highs during this period [1] Group 2 - Amazon announced the availability of its Trainium3 AI chip for AWS customers, leading to an increase in its stock price [2]

Core Insights - Amazon's cloud computing division, AWS, is set to showcase its advancements in artificial intelligence at the annual re:Invent conference, with a new service called AWS Interconnect aimed at improving connectivity between cloud service providers [2][4] - Analysts have raised Amazon's stock price target to $305, citing AWS's rapid expansion and increased capacity to meet AI-related demand [5][6] - AWS plans to double its capacity by 2027, which could lead to significant revenue growth, with projections suggesting a 14% to 22% upside in AWS revenue for 2026 and 2027 [6] Company Developments - Amazon's re:Invent conference is a critical platform for the company to demonstrate its competitive edge in the cloud market, especially against rivals like Microsoft and Google [6][7] - The new AWS Interconnect service is designed to simplify the process of connecting multiple cloud providers, addressing challenges faced by organizations [3][4] - AWS has recently experienced its best sales growth since 2022, indicating a strong recovery and potential for future growth [7] Market Performance - Amazon's stock is currently trading at $233.89, showing a year-to-date increase of approximately 6% [8][9] - The stock experienced a rally following stronger-than-expected Q3 results but faced volatility due to broader market trends affecting AI-related stocks [9] - Amazon holds a high IBD Composite Rating of 90 out of 99, reflecting its strong fundamentals and technical metrics [10]

Group 1: CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. - CrowdStrike is set to report its third-quarter earnings on December 2, with analysts expecting earnings of 94 cents per share, an increase from 93 cents per share in the same period last year [1] - The consensus estimate for CrowdStrike's quarterly revenue is $1.22 billion, up from $1.01 billion a year earlier [2] - CrowdStrike shares gained 1.5% to close at $509.16 on Friday [7] Group 2: Global X Cybersecurity ETF - The Global X Cybersecurity ETF is considered a good entry point for investors lacking cybersecurity exposure [2] - The ETF gained 1% during the session [7] Group 3: Amazon.com, Inc. - Amazon has been selected as a final trade by an investment strategist, indicating positive sentiment towards the company [3] - Amazon, in collaboration with Alphabet Inc.'s Google, launched a new multicloud networking service to enhance reliable connectivity, allowing customers to establish private, high-speed links between their platforms quickly [4] - Amazon shares rose 1.8% to settle at $233.22 on Friday [7] Group 4: Prologis, Inc. - Prologis, a REIT with a relationship with Amazon, was highlighted by an investment director, suggesting its relevance in the current market [5] - Scotiabank analyst maintained Prologis with a Sector Perform rating and raised the price target from $127 to $133 [5] - Prologis shares rose 0.3% to close at $128.53 during the session [7]

Group 1 - OpenAI has signed a $38 billion infrastructure deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS), marking its first contract with AWS and indicating a shift away from sole reliance on Microsoft for computing resources [2][3] - Under the agreement, OpenAI will utilize existing capacity on AWS, leveraging hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs across US data centers, with plans for future expansion [2][3] - Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to OpenAI with a $250 billion investment to continue scaling on Azure, but the AWS deal is seen as more significant in terms of strategic direction towards a multicloud future [4] Group 2 - The AWS deal is part of a broader trend where OpenAI has also signed agreements with Google and Oracle, indicating a diversification of its cloud partnerships [4] - The previous exclusive partnership with Microsoft ended recently, transitioning to a right of first refusal, which has now expired, allowing OpenAI to explore other cloud options [3]

Core Insights - Oracle has launched Oracle Multicloud Universal Credits, a new licensing option that simplifies the procurement of Oracle AI Database and OCI services across multiple cloud platforms including AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure [1][2][3] - This initiative aims to streamline procurement processes, offering flexible terms and consistent contracts, which could enhance the adoption of Oracle's multicloud services [2][3] Unified Cross-Cloud Experience - The new Multicloud Universal Credits will allow customers to operate Oracle databases in their preferred regions while benefiting from a unified consumption model across different cloud providers [1][3] - Oracle's multicloud solution is designed to accelerate application modernization and cloud migrations, providing customers with more choices and flexibility [3] Additional Resources - Oracle's distributed cloud offers a single consumption model for seamless administration and governance across multiple clouds, enabling customers to deploy Oracle AI Database workloads in various regions [4] - The company provides options for hybrid cloud deployments, allowing customers to run OCI services in their own data centers and manage deployments globally [5][6] About Oracle - Oracle offers integrated applications and autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud, focusing on delivering innovative solutions to enhance cloud and AI capabilities [7]

Core Insights - Oracle and Google Cloud have announced the general availability of several new database services, enhancing Oracle Database@Google Cloud with embedded AI capabilities and expanded regional availability [1][2][3] Group 1: New Services and Features - Oracle Exadata Database Service on Exascale Infrastructure is now available, offering high performance at a lower entry point with flexible virtualized deployment and pay-as-you-go pricing [3][4] - Oracle Base Database Service is now available, simplifying database administration and accelerating application development with extensive automation and scalable resources [3] - Oracle Autonomous AI Lakehouse is now available, enabling enterprise-wide AI and analytics by integrating with various data platforms, including Google BigQuery and BigLake [3] Group 2: Regional Expansion - Oracle Database@Google Cloud is now available in three additional Google Cloud regions: Australia-Southeast 2 (Melbourne), North America-Northeast 1 (Montreal), and US Central 1 (Iowa) [3][4] - Existing regions have expanded capacity for disaster recovery, with plans for nine more regions in the next 12 months to meet growing demand [3][4] Group 3: Partner Program - A new partner program allows Google Cloud and Oracle partners to purchase and resell Oracle Database@Google Cloud through the Google Cloud Marketplace, enhancing multicloud and IT modernization initiatives [5][6] Group 4: Industry Demand and Innovation - There is a growing global demand for Oracle Database@Google Cloud across various industries, with organizations seeking agility, innovation, and speed in their multicloud deployments [2][6] - Strategic partnerships are being leveraged to combine Oracle's enterprise database capabilities with Google Cloud's AI and analytics technologies, enabling businesses to unlock the potential of their data [6]

Core Viewpoint - Oracle is positioning itself as an AI-first cloud provider, differentiating itself from the major cloud players and experiencing significant growth in customer orders for its cloud services [1] Group 1: Financial Projections - Oracle forecasts its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) revenue to grow from approximately $10 billion in fiscal 2025 to $144 billion by fiscal 2030 [2] - This growth trajectory suggests OCI could surpass Google Cloud's current size in three years, Microsoft Azure in four years, and AWS in five years [3] Group 2: Competitive Positioning - Oracle is winning cloud contracts from leading AI companies, indicating its potential to become the top cloud provider for AI within the next five years [4] - The company is aggressively expanding its cloud infrastructure, with plans to bring 37 additional multicloud data centers online within a year, totaling 34 existing centers [6] Group 3: Unique Offerings - Oracle's multicloud data centers allow organizations to utilize services from multiple cloud providers while integrating Oracle's databases, enhancing performance and reducing latency [7][9] - Unlike its competitors, Oracle is embedding its infrastructure natively within the big three clouds, which is a key differentiator [8] Group 4: Strategic Partnerships - Oracle's contract backlog has surged by 359%, reaching $455 billion, with a notable multiyear $300 billion contract with OpenAI [12] - OpenAI's transition to a Public Benefit Corporation could facilitate additional funding, supporting its partnership with Oracle [13] Group 5: Market Demand - Oracle is attracting significant deals from major cloud players, driven by its competitive pricing model for high-performance computing tailored for AI [15] - The demand for Oracle's services is evident, with multiyear contracts indicating strong market interest [16]