IBM announced today a definitive agreement to acquire data streaming platform Confluent for $11 billion in an all-cash transaction.This acquisition, expected by mid-2026, aims to bolster IBM's AI and cloud computing capabilities by integrating Confluent's real-time data streaming technology.IBM CEO
Arvind Krishna stated the deal creates a "smart data platform for enterprise IT, purpose-built for
AI," a move
Wedbush analysts called "strong."