Salesforce snaps up Informatica in $8bn deal to boost AI tools

Salesforce logo above reception desk
(Image credit: Salesforce)

Salesforce has finally completed its $8bn deal to purchase Informatica as it looks to take the next step forward on its AI journey.

The purchase of the cloud data management firm will give Salesforce a major AI technology boost, particular as it continues to produce and roll out the next generation of AI agents.

“This combination brings together Salesforce’s Einstein and Informatica’s CLAIRE AI engines to forge the ultimate AI-data platform — trusted, explainable, and built to scale," said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce, "this is a transformational step in delivering enterprise-grade AI that is safe, responsible, and deeply integrated with the world’s data.”

Salesforce Informatica takeover

"Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey to bring ​​data and AI to life by empowering businesses with the transformative power of their most critical asset — their data," said Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica.

“We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era.”

The CRM giant had been forced to drop plans for an Informatica takeover in April 2024 due to investor pressure, but just over a year later, has got the deal done.

Salesforce says that upon closing the deal, it plans to "rapidly integrate Informatica's technology stack" to its existing services and systems, including adding data integration, quality, governance, and unified metadata for Agentforce, and a single data pipeline with MDM on Data Cloud.

Much like it has done with previous acquisitions, the company said it will support Informatica's plans to build it's own products, which will then become part of the wider Salesforce ecosystem.

“By uniting the power of Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau with Informatica’s industry-leading, advanced data management capabilities, we will enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes for every company, and significantly strengthen our position in the $150 billion-plus enterprise data market," Benioff added.

Salesforce noted combining Informatica’s rich data catalog, data integration, governance, quality and privacy, metadata management, and Master Data Management (MDM) services with the Salesforce platform will, "establish a unified architecture for agentic AI — enabling AI agents to operate safely, responsibly, and at scale across the modern enterprise".

"Effective, enterprise-grade AI requires more than just data — it demands data transparency, deep contextual understanding, and rigorous governance," the company added.

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Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

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