Why Salesforce Is Paying $8 Billion for 'the Plumbing of AI'

Salesforce CRM announced Tuesday that it will acquire Informatica INFA in a cash deal valued at approximately $8 billion. The acquisition underscores Salesforce's intent to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities by integrating a core player in enterprise data management.

Under the terms of the deal, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 per share — an 11% premium over the company's closing price of $22.55 on Friday, TechCrunch reported.

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Informatica: ‘The Plumbing For AI’

Informatica CEO Amit Walia framed the acquisition as a shared effort to bring data and AI to life, describing Informatica in a statement as the plumbing for AI and data. Informatica's Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform helps enterprises connect, manage, and unify complex data systems across multi-cloud and hybrid environments.

"Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey," Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era."

Steve Fisher, Salesforce's chief technology officer, said that the truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data, adding that Informatica's metadata and catalog tools will complement Salesforce's agentic AI platform, Agentforce.

Strategic Rationale: Building A Foundation For Agentic AI

The acquisition builds on Salesforce's previous investments in data and AI. It follows the company's multibillion-dollar acquisitions of Slack at $27.7 billion in 2021, Tableau at $15.7 billion in 2019, and MuleSoft at $6.5 billion in 2018.

According to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Informatica will be integrated alongside Data Cloud, Tableau, and MuleSoft to enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes for every company.

Salesforce’s operating and financial chief Robin Washington said the company will move quickly to leverage Informatica's capabilities across public sector, life sciences, healthcare, and financial services verticals, where governed, trustworthy data is critical.

The deal is expected to close in early fiscal 2027, pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

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From Buyout To Buy-In

Informatica was taken private in 2015 through a $5.3 billion deal led by private-equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Informatica says it serves more than 5,000 customers across nearly 100 countries, including over 80 of the Fortune 100, according to its acquisition announcement.

The transaction will be financed through a combination of Salesforce's cash and new debt, the company said in the announcement.

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Image: Shutterstock

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