IBM has completed the acquisition of Confluent, the data streaming platform built on Apache Kafka. IBM is integrating Confluent directly into its AI portfolio, including watsonx.data and IBM Z, to deliver real-time data to AI models and agents in hybrid environments.
The deal, announced in December 2025, cost IBM $31 per share, totaling approximately $11 billion. Confluent has more than 6,500 customers, including 40 percent of the Fortune 500.
The platform is built on Apache Kafka, the open-source standard for data streaming. This means Confluent is at the operational core of many large enterprises, ranging from financial services providers and healthcare institutions to manufacturing companies and retailers.
Real-time data as the foundation for AI
IBM positions the combination as a platform for enterprise AI. The core of the strategy: AI models and agents can only operate effectively if they are fed with up-to-date, reliable data. In most organizations, however, data is scattered across systems and is hours or sometimes days old by the time it becomes available.
With Confluent, IBM integrates data streaming directly into its existing portfolio. This allows live operational events to flow directly to watsonx.data, enabling models and workflows to run on current business data. There are also direct integrations for IBM Z mainframes: transactional data can be streamed in real time to analytics and AI workflows. IBM MQ and webMethods Hybrid Integration also gain high-scale event streaming for applications and AI agents.
“Transactions happen in milliseconds, and AI decisions need to happen just as fast,” says Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President of IBM Software and Chief Commercial Officer. “With Confluent, we are giving clients the ability to move trusted data continuously across their entire operation so their AI models and agents can act on what is happening right now.”
The acquisition is IBM’s largest since its $6.4 billion purchase of HashiCorp in 2024. IBM Consulting and IBM partners will help clients build a data foundation for AI, the company announced. The integrations are available starting today.