India's digital businesses are innovating faster with data & AI, says Databricks founder
artificial intelligence
(AI)-hungry and ahead of the curve from global peers when it comes to innovation with
data and AI
, said Ali Ghodsi, founder and chief executive of
Databricks
.
'India's great because when the rest of the world is talking about recession, India is on the upswing. And in the last decade, they've built a lot of digital infrastructure in India, which is a game-changer. India's ahead on digital infrastructure compared to most other countries in the world,' Ghodsi said while addressing the media at the Databricks Data + AI Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday.
The Silicon Valley's data and AI company Databricks recently committed a $250 million investment in India over the next three years towards local R&D, talent development, and enterprise adoption of AI.
"We're doubling down on Bangalore. We hired a huge engineering team. We target the IITs," he said, mentioning an instance where the company received 700 applications from IIT graduates for just four open positions in Bangalore.
Ghodsi said that the company is extremely bullish on Asian markets, including India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, which are moving faster than the rest of the world on AI because of the relaxed regulatory environment.
'We're investing ahead of the game there. We're not just looking at how much revenue we get? Is the ROI there? Instead. We're saying, let's put even more there than the numbers justify, because we're so bullish on what's happening in Asia,' he said.
At the annual conference on Wednesday, Databricks made a slew of bold announcements challenging traditional players in database management, AI apps and agents. Here's a rundown of key announcements:
Agent bricks
Taking a fresh approach to agentic AI, Databricks is focusing on the quality and cost of productising agents with 'Agent Bricks', an offering that directly challenges Salesforce's Agent Force and Google's Agent Space.
'There are a lot of challenges in the industry around building agents. We can't evaluate the quality of the agents. We don't know how these agents are doing in production,' Ghodsi said, adding that there are no evaluations or benchmarks for judging the performance of agents.
Hence, Databricks is introducing LLM judges for automated evaluations. Agent Bricks' auto optimisation techniques, such as knowledge extraction and multi-agent supervisor can refine the agent for the best quality output, sometimes at 10 times lower cost.
Lakebase
Challenging the traditional database platforms like Oracle Database, MySQL,
Microsoft
SQL Server, and PostgreSQL, Databricks announced Lakebase, a first-of-its-kind fully-managed Postgres database built for AI.
'We think that's going to disrupt the existing database market, which has really not changed much in 40 years. But I think now is the time where it's actually under a lot of pressure with agents coming in,' Ghodsi said, adding that the company is targeting a $100 billion total addressable market with Lakebase.
Databricks, last month, announced the acquisition of Neon, a leading serverless Postgres company, which showed that over 30% of the databases at Neon were actually created by agents, not by database administrators. 'So next year, it's probably 99% plus.'
Therefore, in the new AI era, enterprises need different types of databases where compute and storage are completely separated, he explained. 'You just store the database on very cheap cloud storage in an open format so you're not locked into anyone (single vendor).'
Over 300 Databricks customers are already using Lakebase, and this transition is going to be the most important marathon for the next five years, he said.
Databricks free edition
To close the AI talent gap, Databricks also announced the free edition of its platform, along with a $100 million global investment in data and AI education. This initiative gives students, professionals, and institutions free access to Databricks tools and training.
Among other notable announcements made was the Lakeflow Designer, a new no-code capability that lets non-technical users create data pipelines using a visual drag-and-drop interface and a natural language GenAI assistant.
(The reporter was in San Francisco at the invitation of Databricks)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
Trump's tech hiring ban: India's chance to redefine global innovation
By doubling down on its strengths—its people, its problems, its potential—India can turn exclusion into empowerment read more US President Donald Trump has urged American tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Apple to stop hiring foreign workers, including those from India, and focus instead on creating jobs in the United States. His words sent ripples across the global tech landscape. At an AI Summit held in Washington on Wednesday, Trump said that American companies should now put national interests first in the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence. Although there has been no official policy announcement, this adds to the growing uncertainty for Indian professionals, as India plays a key role in the global operations of U.S. tech firms. Recent reports indicate that major U.S. tech firms are lobbying against strict hiring bans. For many, it felt like a betrayal—a nation that has long powered global innovation now faces exclusion. But what if this moment is India's chance to rewrite its story? Rather than a setback, Trump's directive could ignite India's ascent as a self-reliant tech superpower, proving it can innovate not just for the West but for the world. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump's remarks tap into a broader narrative of economic nationalism, one that paints foreign talent—particularly India's vast pool of engineers—as a drain on American jobs. This is no small matter. U.S. tech companies have been establishing engineering hubs in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad for decades, and India is a vital part of their global operations. Yet Trump's statement, aimed at boosting U.S. AI dominance, signals a pivot toward insularity. One of the directives outlines a nationwide strategy to accelerate the development of AI by relaxing regulations and enticing businesses to construct data centres and other essential infrastructure within the United States. Companies that receive federal funding to develop AI tools are subject to new regulations under the second order. Helping U.S.-made AI products compete internationally is the main goal of the third executive order. Together, they underscore a vision where global talent takes a back seat. India's tech sector risks disruption. American firms have leaned on Indian engineers for cost-efficient, high-skill labour, building software and cloud systems that power the world. A hiring freeze could shrink opportunities for Indian professionals, particularly those eyeing U.S. careers via H-1B visas. It might also chill investments in India's tech hubs, where companies like Google and Microsoft have sprawling campuses. The Brookings Institution notes that over half of top U.S. AI researchers are foreign-born, many from India. Curtailing this pipeline could slow innovation in the U.S., but it also threatens India's role as a global tech engine. The fear is real: a brain drain reversed, with talent staying home but lacking the platforms to thrive. Yet this challenge masks a profound opportunity. India can seize this moment to pivot from being the world's back office to its innovation hub. India should harness its engineers graduating annually—a massive talent pool. Instead of coding for Western giants, these minds can build indigenous platforms tailored to India's needs. Take agriculture, where AI could optimise crop yields for small farmers battling climate shifts. (Update: The Indian government recently announced a new AI mission focusing on agriculture, healthcare, and language models.) In healthcare, homegrown AI tools could diagnose diseases in rural clinics, bridging gaps where doctors are scarce. By focusing inward, India can solve local problems while creating globally competitive tech. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's digital infrastructure—think Aadhaar and UPI—already sets a global standard for scale and efficiency. Government backing could fuel AI hardware innovation. By investing in research hubs and easing startup regulations, India can nurture ecosystems where talent stays and thrives. Imagine an AI model trained on India's diverse languages, powering education or governance solutions exportable to Africa or Southeast Asia. Trump's push could catalyse this shift, forcing India to prioritise self-reliance over outsourcing. The other side has weight: global collaboration has driven tech's golden age. U.S. firms warn that restricting foreign talent could hamstring innovation, given America's own tech talent shortage. Indian professionals in the U.S. fear uncertainty, and companies reliant on government contracts may hesitate to defy Trump's rhetoric. But India's talent doesn't need Western validation to shine—it can build its own Silicon Valleys. Trump's call is a wake-up call for India. The country stands at a crossroads, with a chance to redefine global innovation. By doubling down on its strengths—its people, its problems, its potential—India can turn exclusion into empowerment. The world is watching. It's time for India to code its own future. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The writer is a columnist. His articles have appeared in various publications like The Independent, The Globe and Mail, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, etc. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
India.com
10 hours ago
- India.com
Meet Naveen Rao, only Indian to ride an Aston Martin Valkyrie worth Rs 350000000, lives in..., works as...
Meet Naveen Rao, only Indian to ride an Aston Martin Valkyrie worth Rs 350000000, lives in..., works as... When you think of supercars, names like Bugati, Range Rover, Rolls Royce, Austin Martin will come to your mind as these great machines are owned by several people across the world. However, there are only a handful of people who drive around in a hypercar and NRI Naveen Rao is one of them. Who is Naveen Rao? Naveen Rao, who is vice-president, AI, in California-based Databricks, recently dropped photos of new latest speed machine on social media. Rao, who is a well-known name in the field of artificial intelligence has purchased Aston Martin Valkyrie which costs around Rs 35 crore. Rao, who is also a professional racer, shared pictures of his 'black beauty' which is a limited number car – meaning only a limited number of this vehicles have been manufactured. What are the features of Aston Martin Valkyrie? The Aston Martin Valkyrie is an incredibly fast car with top speed of 224 mph or 360 km per hour thanks to its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine which churns out around 1000 horsepower. The hybrid system in the car further enhances the power of this mean machine pushing the total output at 1160 horsepower. The aerodynamics of the car, which is inspired heavily from Formula 1 technology, helps the car attain such high speeds. It can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (about 100kmph) in just 2.6 seconds. The interior of the car showcases its space-age engineering. Aston Martin Valkyrie was in production from November 2021 to December 2024. A total of 275 units, including 150 coupés, 85 Spiders, and 40 AMR Pro models were manufactured, as per reports.
News18
11 hours ago
- News18
India's Textile Exports Under Pressure As Firms Move Production To Vietnam, Indonesia, Africa
Indian textile exporters are shifting US-bound production to hubs such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, others to offset impact of tariffs While uncertainty clouds India's Rs 87,000-crore annual textile exports to the US, some exporters with overseas manufacturing bases are planning to shift production for American buyers out of India, according to a report by The Economic Times. Pearl Global Industries said it would reassign US-bound production to more favourable hubs. 'We are seeing positive momentum from US customers for our Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Guatemala operations," managing director Pallab Banerjee said during the company's quarterly earnings call. Another top-10 garment and textile exporter told ET that it plans to move its US orders to Africa. 'We have a facility in Africa, where we will try to shift our US orders," he said. Banerjee said the company was benefiting from an early resolution of tariff structures in several Asian markets. 'Now that the US has declared final reciprocal tariffs on all major garment manufacturing countries at 19-20%, we are seeing positive momentum from US customers for our Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Guatemala facilities," he said. Pearl Global, which manufactures in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Guatemala, supplies to global brands including Chicos, Kohl's, Old Navy, Poligono, Primark, PVH, Ralph Lauren, Stylem, and Target. With a 50% tariff now imposed on India, Banerjee said the company is recalibrating its business strategy to adapt to changing trade dynamics. 'While production for the US market will be reassigned to more favourable hubs, India will continue to grow by tapping new and advantageous partnerships, such as the UK FTA, and focusing on other existing FTA markets like Japan and Australia until the US tariff issue is resolved," he said in a call. US revenue from India operations accounts for 16-18% of Pearl Global's FY25 group revenue, while the US business contributes 4-5% to overall group profit. 'We believe such recalibrations should help retain customer wallet share and maintain profitability," Banerjee said, adding that the company will go ahead with its planned capex in Bangladesh. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
