Databricks has announced its acquisition of Tabular, Inc., a data management startup founded by the creators of Apache Iceberg. This acquisition brings together the pioneers of Apache Iceberg and Delta Lake, two leading open-source lakehouse formats, to enhance data compatibility and eliminate limitations based on lakehouse formats. Databricks, known for pioneering the lakehouse architecture in 2020, aims to integrate data warehousing and AI workloads on a single, governed data copy, revolutionizing enterprise productivity by democratizing data access.
The lakehouse architecture has gained widespread adoption, with 74% of enterprises deploying it, according to a survey by the MIT Technology Review. This architecture relies on open-source data formats that enable ACID transactions on data stored in object storage, improving data operation reliability and performance. Databricks introduced Delta Lake UniForm to address format incompatibility challenges, providing interoperability across Delta Lake, Iceberg, and Hudi.
With the addition of the original Iceberg team, Databricks plans to invest heavily in expanding Delta Lake UniForm’s capabilities, aiming for greater compatibility and interoperability. Both Databricks and Tabular have a strong history of supporting open-source formats, with Databricks donating 12 million lines of code to open-source projects. This acquisition reaffirms Databricks’ commitment to open formats and open-source data in the cloud, helping companies avoid proprietary vendor lock-in.
The acquisition of Tabular by Databricks marks a significant step toward achieving data interoperability and enhancing the lakehouse architecture. By bringing together the creators of Apache Iceberg and Delta Lake, Databricks is poised to lead in data compatibility, ensuring that enterprises can maximize their data’s value without being constrained by format limitations. This collaboration promises a future where data interoperability drives innovation and productivity across industries.
