San Francisco— Salesforce has announced its acquisition of Informatica for approximately $8 billion, marking a significant move to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) and data management capabilities. The deal, offering $25 per share, represents a 30% premium over Informatica’s recent trading price and is expected to close early in Salesforce's fiscal year 2027, pending regulatory approvals.
Key Facts:
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Acquisition Price: $8 billion, or $25 per share
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Expected Closure: Early fiscal year 2027 (begins February 1, 2026)
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Strategic Goal: Enhance AI capabilities and data management offerings
Informatica, co-founded by Indian-American entrepreneur Gaurav Dhillon in 1993, specializes in data integration, governance, and cloud data management. Its AI engine, CLAIRE, automates data discovery and integration, serving industries like finance, healthcare, and retail.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff emphasized the strategic importance of the acquisition, stating,
"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."
The acquisition is part of Salesforce's broader strategy to strengthen its position in the $150 billion-plus enterprise data market. By integrating Informatica's capabilities, Salesforce aims to enhance its AI-driven services, including Agentforce, Data Cloud, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Customer 360.
Do You Know? Informatica was taken private in 2015 for $5.3 billion and returned to public trading in 2021. The company's return to the public market was marked by a valuation of $7.5 billion.
Key Terms:
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AI CRM: Artificial Intelligence Customer Relationship Management; systems that use AI to manage a company's interactions with current and potential customers.
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CLAIRE: Informatica's AI engine that automates data discovery, integration, and governance.
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Agentforce: Salesforce's AI platform is designed to enable autonomous agents to act with intelligence and context across enterprises.