In a sweeping bid to cement its place at the center of the AI revolution, Salesforce has announced it will acquire cloud data management giant Informatica for approximately $8 billion. Salesforce’s latest agreement marks a significant acquisition, following its $27.7 billion Slack buy, aiming to dominate AI and enterprise data.
Salesforce will acquire Informatica shares for $25 each, a 30% premium, in an all-cash-and-debt deal closing in early 2027. The deal, which has received board approval from both companies, is subject to regulatory reviews and customary closing conditions.
A Power Play in the AI Infrastructure Game
Salesforce’s strategic acquisition of Informatica is more than just a move for growth. It is a calculated step toward controlling the core data infrastructure that fuels artificial intelligence. The evolution of AI, language models, and machine learning highlights the critical need for clean, governed, and accessible data.
Informatica was founded in 1993 and is based in Redwood City, California. The company is known for its expertise in enterprise data integration, metadata management, data cataloging, governance, and quality control. These capabilities are now in high demand and will serve as a crucial addition to Salesforce’s AI engine, Agentforce.
Marc Benioff, Salesforce Chair and CEO, announced collaboration to create the industry’s most complete, agent-ready data platform together. He highlighted that the acquisition enhances Salesforce’s enterprise AI commitment, enabling all AI agents to function with clean, compliant data.
This decision highlights a broader shift in the tech industry. Companies are now prioritizing the less visible but highly critical infrastructure that supports AI systems. While consumer-facing AI tools often capture the spotlight, the real foundation of reliable AI lies in back-end data orchestration. With Informatica in its fold, Salesforce is preparing to fulfill the growing demand for trusted AI solutions in sectors that require the highest standards for data handling, including healthcare, finance, and public services.
Salesforce: Building a Data Empire
This $8 billion acquisition is more than just a power move. It is a long-term strategy. Salesforce is no longer just a CRM giant. With the rise of AI agents, large language models, and automation, the battleground has shifted to backend infrastructure, where clean, governed, and real-time data is the new currency.
Informatica brings exactly that: a mature, cloud-native data platform trusted by thousands of enterprise customers. By integrating Informatica, Salesforce gains direct control over how data is moved, cleaned, cataloged, and activated across organizations. This is not about filling a product gap. It is about taking control of the entire data value chain.
In the race to deliver trusted, agent-ready AI across industries such as healthcare, finance, and public services, Salesforce is making sure it owns more than just the dashboard. It is building the engine room. This acquisition firmly positions the company as the leading AI infrastructure platform for global enterprises.
Informatica: A Strategic Exit, Not a Surrender
Informatica’s decision to sell is not a signal of weakness; it’s a calculated evolution. While it has long led in data management and integration, the market is shifting toward full-stack AI ecosystems. Customers increasingly prefer unified platforms that blend data, AI, automation, and CRM under one umbrella.
By joining Salesforce, Informatica ensures its capabilities scale faster, integrate deeper, and remain indispensable in an AI-dominated future. It avoids the uphill battle of platform independence in a landscape now dominated by alliances and consolidations.
This deal gives Informatica access to Salesforce’s global reach, R&D muscle, and AI roadmap without compromising its core strengths. For CEO Amit Walia and the leadership team, the acquisition is less a retreat and more a smart reinvention. It aligns the company’s legacy with the next decade of intelligent, enterprise-grade AI.
What Informatica Brings to the Table
Informatica’s enterprise clientele spans the globe, serving over 5,000 organizations, including more than 85 of the Fortune 100. Its Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) is designed to help enterprises unify, automate, and manage data across multi-cloud and hybrid environments.
Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica, highlighted the synergy between the two companies. “We’ve built a legacy around helping organizations make sense of their data. By joining forces with Salesforce, we’re accelerating our ability to help customers become truly data- and AI-first,” he said.
Walia emphasized that in a world where AI models are only as effective as the data they ingest, Informatica’s mission aligns perfectly with Salesforce’s evolving platform strategy.
Market Reactions and Analyst Sentiment On Salesforce Acquisition
Following the announcement, Informatica’s shares climbed 5.7 percent in after-hours trading, while Salesforce saw a more modest increase. The market reaction reflected investor confidence in what many view as a strategic and assertive move by Salesforce to strengthen its standing in the rapidly evolving AI sector.
Dan Ives, a technology analyst at Wedbush Securities, described the transaction as more than a typical tech acquisition. He said it represents a fundamental shift toward controlling the data pipeline, which is critical for success in AI. According to Ives, Informatica gives Salesforce exactly that advantage.
He also suggested that the deal could spark a series of similar acquisitions across the tech industry. Major players such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Google may now feel added pressure to reinforce their data and AI infrastructures to keep pace with Salesforce’s aggressive strategy.
Why This Deal Makes Sense for Both Salesforce and Informatica
Salesforce gains a trusted data backbone to support its AI ambitions and move toward becoming a full-scale enterprise platform. Informatica chooses to scale through strategic alignment rather than compete alone in a platform-driven market. Together, they can deliver an integrated solution for enterprise-grade AI and data that neither could fully achieve independently.
The Road Ahead
If completed, the Salesforce acquisition is expected to significantly expand Salesforce’s presence in the enterprise data and AI market, which is valued at more than 150 billion dollars. As global businesses seek out reliable, secure, and intelligent data solutions, Salesforce is aiming to become more than just a customer relationship management platform. It is positioning itself as a comprehensive foundation for data-driven AI applications across the modern enterprise landscape.
While Salesforce focuses on mastering enterprise data through Informatica, others like Microsoft are exploring how AI can revolutionize real-world systems. A powerful example of this is Microsoft’s Aurora project, which is reshaping the future of AI-based weather forecasting, showing just how central advanced data systems have become across industries. The integration of Salesforce and Informatica could redefine how organizations transform raw data into strategic insights. This includes everything from deploying intelligent customer service agents to driving predictive analytics in public health and ensuring regulatory compliance in the financial sector.
However, the path forward is not without obstacles. The deal must clear antitrust reviews and will demand seamless technical integration between both platforms. If successful, this acquisition could mark a pivotal moment not only for Salesforce but also for the broader future of AI infrastructure and enterprise data management.
