Salesforce to Acquire Informatica for $8 Billion to Strengthen AI Data Capabilities
Salesforce, the US-based SaaS giant, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire cloud data management company Informatica, in a deal valued at approximately $8 billion in equity. This excludes Salesforce’s existing investment in the firm. Under the agreement, Informatica shareholders will receive $25 in cash per share. The acquisition is expected to bolster Salesforce’s data infrastructure, particularly in support of its AI agent platform, Agentforce. The company aims to integrate Informatica’s metadata management, Master Data Management (MDM), and data governance technologies into its core services, including Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau. This acquisition follows Salesforce’s previous major deals, including the $6.5 billion purchase of MuleSoft in 2018, the $15.7 billion acquisition of Tableau in 2019, and the $27 billion acquisition of Slack in 2021. “Together, Salesforce and Informatica will create the most complete, agent-ready data platform in the industry,” said Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce. He added that the move would help them compete in the $150 billion-plus enterprise data market. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the transaction, which is expected to close by FY27, pending regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. The company announced that stockholders representing about 63% of Informatica’s voting power have already approved the deal through written consent. Salesforce plans to fund the acquisition with a mix of cash and new debt. It anticipates the deal will begin contributing to non-GAAP operating margin, earnings per share, and free cash flow in the second year (post the deal), driven by expected cost savings and expanded data capabilities. “Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data,” said Steve Fisher, President and CTO of Salesforce. “The combination of Informatica’s advanced catalogue and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this.” Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica, called the acquisition “a significant leap forward” in unlocking the value of enterprise data in the AI era. “We have a shared vision for how we can help organisations harness the full value of their data.” The integration will support Salesforce’s strategy across industries such as public sector, healthcare, life sciences, and financial services. Robin Washington, Salesforce’s president and CFO, said the acquisition reflects the company’s “methodical, patient, and decisive” approach to M&A and aims to accelerate market differentiation. The SaaS giant also plans to invest in Informatica’s partner ecosystem and leverage its marketing and distribution resources to expand Informatica’s cloud footprint.
The acquisition is expected to bolster Salesforce’s data infrastructure, particularly in support of its AI agent platform, Agentforce.
Salesforce, the US-based SaaS giant, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire cloud data management company Informatica, in a deal valued at approximately $8 billion in equity. This excludes Salesforce’s existing investment in the firm. Under the agreement, Informatica shareholders will receive $25 in cash per share.
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Siddharth is a media graduate who loves to explore tech through journalism and putting forward ideas worth pondering about in the era of artificial intelligence.