IBM plans to acquire DataStax

‘Cassandra momentum has been picking up and just got some big blue jet boots,’ says DataStax tech lead

IBM plans to acquire DataStax, the provider of database software and services specialising in Apache Cassandra.

The move was announced by Patrick McFadin, principal technical strategist at DataStax who is a Cassandra committer in a blog post on DataStax’s website, and also on LinkedIn.

“This marks a major moment in our journey and in the continued evolution of Cassandra,” McFadin wrote.

It represents a strategic bet by IBM on Apache Cassandra, a highly scalable and distributed open source NoSQL database used by high profile enterprises including Netflix and Apple, developers from which remain among its largest contributors, along with DataStax.

A spinoff from Facebook, Cassandra came to prominence in the big data era of the early 2010s, being particularly suited to handling large volumes of data and use cases including real-time analytics, hybrid cloud setups, machine learning, IoT networks, social media and entertainment.

DataStax once offered an enterprise version of the database (called DSE) with proprietary addons, but later dropped this model in favour of supporting the open source Cassandra community and cloud native technologies like Kubernetes. It now describes itself as a “real-time AI company”.

McFadin was at pains to point out that control of Apache Cassandra will remain with the Apache Foundation. He welcomed the involvement of IBM, saying it has demonstrated “strong leadership and stewardship in the open-source space,” including in development of the Red Hat business after it acquired that - including OpenShift - in 2018.

“It’s great to become part of a company that is aligned with and truly understands open-source software and its significance to both developers and enterprises worldwide,” McFadin wrote, although he acknowledged that “acquisitions can be unsettling.”

Indeed, reaction to the Red Hat purchase has been mixed, with insiders criticising IBM for sidelining Linux in favour of OpenShift and for killing off the CentOS distribution.

But McFadin sounded an optimistic note.

“In 2025, the new question is whether Cassandra can be the default database for a generation. To get there, the project needs a lot of friends, and it has some great ones. Netflix, Apple, Bloomberg, Uber. It’s a long list. Today, IBM joined the chorus. The Cassandra project momentum has been picking up and just got some big blue jet boots,” he wrote.

Computing understands that the main users of Cassandra, including those mentioned above, are responsible for the long-term strategy of the community and that is not expected to change.

Financial details of the acquisition have not yet been disclosed.