California-based Confluent Partners with Jio Platforms to Advance GenAI Development in India

California-based Confluent, the data streaming giant founded by the creators of Apache Kafka, has announced a strategic partnership with Jio Platforms Limited to integrate its data streaming platform with Jio Cloud Services. 

This agreement positions Confluent as the first data streaming platform available on Jio Cloud. It enables businesses in India to leverage real-time data for next-generation applications, including generative AI.  

Confluent Cloud will now be accessible on Jio Cloud Services, simplifying data streaming adoption for Indian enterprises. The partnership also includes Confluent Platform as a managed service, catering to public and private sector organisations with enterprise-grade security and governance at scale.  

Kiran Thomas, president and CEO of Jio Platforms Limited, highlighted the significance of data streaming in India’s digital evolution. “We’re on the precipice of rapid transformation in India, and data streaming is a must-have for businesses to stay ahead of consumer trends, including advancements in AI,” he said. 

Data streaming is increasingly recognised as essential for innovation. According to Confluent’s 2024 Data Streaming Report, 94% of IT leaders in India believe data streaming accelerates product launches, while 95% see it as a driver of AI development.  

“Confluent with Jio will enable more organisations in India to harness the power of data streaming to fuel their businesses with real-time data and provide better services to its citizens,” said Erica Ruliffson Schultz, president of field operations at Confluent. 

She also mentioned that the partnership with Jio is a huge leap forward in making data streaming easily accessible and pervasive.

On Jio Cloud Services, Confluent will support data streaming across four core principles: streaming, connecting, processing, and governing data. The companies aim to accelerate India’s digital transformation through this collaboration.

Not Just Jio, But Also Databricks

Confluent has also recently expanded its partnership with Databricks to make real-time data integration easier for businesses, as announced by Jay Kreps, co-founder and CEO at Confluent. 

While many companies struggle to connect their AI and analytics with real-time operations because their data is siloed and difficult to manage, the company said this collaboration is aimed at helping businesses move data between systems effortlessly and securely.   

It allows businesses to instantly apply AI-driven insights, allowing them to make better, faster decisions without manual effort. For AI to be useful, it needs fresh, high-quality data. With this integration, AI models can continuously learn from real-time events, improving accuracy and automation. 

Confluent and Databricks are likely to roll out deeper product integrations in the coming months, ensuring AI-powered insights can seamlessly flow between analytical and operational systems.