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The Data Platforms Battle

· 2 min read
Amaresh Tripathy
Amaresh Tripathy
Co-Founder and Managing Partner

The enterprise data stack is going through an inflection point and the battle lines are being redrawn - which happens every decade or so. This time, to no surprise, the AI agenda in Enterprise is going to determine the winners and losers.

Data Platforms Battle

The Changing Landscape​

The battleground for data platforms has shifted dramatically, now centering on enabling AI applications. Success in this space requires excellence in four critical areas:

  1. Semantic Layer: Understanding the nuances of business data across the enterprise
  2. Application Development Tools: Providing low-code/no-code toolsets for building applications
  3. Orchestration Simplicity: Delivering workflows and interoperability that simplifies ecosystem management
  4. AI Capabilities: Offering powerful AI frameworks that deliver results

The Major Players​

Four tech giants are aggressively positioning themselves in this space, each making significant moves in AI capabilities over the last twelve months:

Databricks​

  • Strong position with Unity Catalog for data context understanding
  • Introduced AI Playground and DBRX
  • Application toolset strategy remains unclear

Microsoft​

  • Leverages strong OpenAI partnership
  • Microsoft Fabric provides excellent orchestration
  • Strong application development tools
  • Semantic layer remains a weakness

Salesforce​

  • Comprehensive solution for customer applications with Einstein AI
  • Challenge: Limited to Salesforce data ecosystem
  • Faces hurdles with external data integration

Snowflake​

  • Under competitive pressure but has comprehensive offerings
  • Cortex AI shows promise
  • Benefits from walled garden approach for orchestration
  • Needs to balance user experience with economics
  • Working to expand app building capabilities for business users

Enterprise Challenges​

A significant organizational challenge exists: data teams and application teams typically operate under separate leadership with limited collaboration. As AI applications become the central battleground, this could drive:

  1. New winners and losers in the Data Platform space
  2. Fundamental changes to enterprise IT operating models