Trends to Watch in the Data Infra & AI Space in 2026

As we head into the new year, we’re spotlighting insights from seasoned experts to offer a fresh, unbiased perspective on what’s coming next in data infrastructure and AI.

Some of the topics we’ll discuss:

• What 2026 will look like based on the key shifts and trends we saw in 2025.
• The continued convergence of streaming and batch into unified data platforms
• The acquisition of Confluent by IBM, and Manus by Meta and what that could mean for the data and AI space
• Continued development of AI-native data infra, especially for agentic AI systems.
• The popularity of open table formats, especially Apache Iceberg.
• Cost, performance, and complexity trade-offs as data infra matures

Speakers:

• Sanjeev Mohan, Principal, SanjMo
• Dinesh Chandrasekhar, Industry Analyst, Stratola LLC
• Ben O'Mahony, Principal AI Engineer, Thoughtworks
• Yingjun Wu, Founder and CEO at RisingWave Labs