Salesforce has just announced the acquisition of Informatica, an American cloud data management specialist, for $8 billion, or $25 per share. This transaction, expected to be completed at the beginning of Salesforce's fiscal year 2027, marks a decisive step in strengthening its capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and data management.
A Logical but Unexpected Union
This announcement comes a year after the first rumors of a potential acquisition stirred the market. At the time, Informatica had categorically denied any sale discussions. Today, the initially dismissed scenario becomes a reality, confirming a growing trend of market consolidation around giants capable of effectively integrating AI and data management.
Informatica, an Ideal Strategic Partner
Founded in 1993, Informatica boasts a portfolio of over 5,700 clients spread across a hundred countries. With a revenue of $1.64 billion in 2024, Informatica has largely transitioned to a SaaS model with 61% of its revenue coming from its cloud services. Its flagship product, the Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC), notably relies on the CLAIRE AI engine, which processes more than 119 trillion transactions each month.
This acquisition allows Salesforce to significantly enhance its Agentforce platform by adding advanced capabilities in data cataloging, integration, governance, and quality management. "Together, we will energize Agentforce, Data Cloud, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Customer 360, enabling our autonomous agents to operate with intelligence, context, and trust across the entire enterprise," emphasizes Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.
A Disciplined and Strategic Acquisition Strategy
Since 2018, Salesforce has multiplied major acquisitions such as MuleSoft ($6.5 billion), Tableau ($15.7 billion), and Slack ($27.7 billion). Informatica, acquired for $8 billion, represents a more measured strategic acquisition, showing a reasonable multiple of about five times the projected annual revenues.
This financial discipline seems to meet the expectations of activist investors while positioning Salesforce against fierce competition from hyperscalers and cloud-native players like Snowflake or Databricks.
Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
The integration of Informatica will allow Salesforce to create a complete and integrated chain: from data ingestion and integration with MuleSoft, through analysis with Tableau, to autonomous action with Agentforce. However, significant challenges remain, particularly in terms of rapid and seamless technical integration. Moreover, regulatory and antitrust issues could enter the debate, especially concerning the multi-cloud commitments initially upheld by Informatica.