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Databricks CEO says fresh $1B will help him attack a new AI database market

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Databricks CEO says fresh $1B will help him attack a new AI database market Julie Bort AM PDT · August 19, 2025 Databricks is in the process of closing a fresh round at a $100 billion valuation,

The round was co-led

This was a primary round, meaning it didn’t include employees selling their shares. However,

In both cases, the

This new round, however, was raised to pursue two specific projects — a database for AI agents and its AI agent platform — Databricks co-founder and CEO Ali Ghodsi told TechCrunch in an interview.

The company will invest heavily in its database for AI agents, making it generally available to all customers. It launched the product, known as Lakebase, in June at its annual tech conference. Lakebase, which is based on the open

Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW “The database market is $105 billion of TAM [total addressable market], of revenue, sitting there, kind of unaffected in the last 40 years,” Ghodsi told TechCrunch, giving a subtle nod to how database giant Oracle has had a lock on the market for decades.

“Here’s the interesting statistic nobody’s paying attention to: a year ago, we saw in the data that 30% of the databases were not created

“There’s a new user. The user is not human. It’s an AI agent, and if we just double down on making that user persona successful, that’s the wedge to disrupt that TAM,” he said.

As for how Lakebase will differentiate from Supabase and others already building Postgres-based databases for agents, Ghodsi said the key is “separated compute and storage.”

The second project Databricks will be investing heavily in is AI agent platform Agent Bricks, also launched in June. “Everybody’s super focused on superintelligence,” Ghodsi said. “But that’s not what we need in organizations.”

Rather than artificial general math geniuses or cancer-curing scientists, what companies need are agents that can reliably handle, unaided, mundane tasks like onboarding employees or answering personalized questions about HR benefits.

“I think that’s a much bigger opportunity, actually, for the worldwide GDP and for organizations,” he said. He believes that such focus will give Agent Bricks a competitive advantage.

He also raised the extra cash so Databricks can get into the AI poaching wars. “As you know, it’s pretty expensive to hire AI talent right now,” he said, smiling.

We’re always looking to evolve, and

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Julie Bort Venture Editor

October 27-29, 2025 San Francisco Put your brand in front of 10,000+ tech and VC leaders across all three days of Disrupt 2025. Amplify your reach, spark real connections, and lead the innovation charge. Secure your exhibit space before your competitor does.

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