database Archives

Tech Optimizer

June 17, 2025

Databricks Unveils Lakebase Database for AI Applications

Databricks acquired the serverless Postgres startup Neon for approximately billion and integrated this technology into its offerings, launching Databricks Lakebase, a new operational database designed for intelligent applications. Lakebase is a fully-managed Postgres database aimed at addressing the integration of operational and analytical data for AI workloads. It operates on PostgreSQL and allows developers to manage data applications without server infrastructure concerns. Databricks also introduced additional products, including Lakeflow Designer, a no-code ETL tool, Databricks One for easy access to data and AI capabilities, and Agent Bricks for automating the creation of customized AI agents.

Tech Optimizer

June 16, 2025

Databricks rolls out Lakebase Postgres and Agent Bricks for AI-era apps

Databricks has introduced the Lakebase Postgres database layer to enhance its lakehouse architecture, facilitating AI applications and analytics on operational data. The company also launched Agent Bricks to simplify the development of automated AI agents. During the Data + AI Summit, CEO Ali Ghodsi emphasized the importance of transitioning from outdated systems to modern solutions for AI. Lakebase, powered by Neon technology, is a fully managed, Postgres-compatible database that supports data loading from over 300 sources. Databricks aims to unify operational and analytical systems for real-time decision-making. The summit outlined a three-chapter framework: establishing the lakehouse, integrating AI, and introducing Lakebase. Agent Bricks enables business users to create AI agents without extensive technical knowledge, while Managed Iceberg Tables support external engines and promise performance optimizations. Databricks announced partnerships with Microsoft and Google Cloud for deeper integration and AI model usage. The company is investing 0 million in AI education and plans to release Lakeflow Designer for no-code ETL capabilities. Databricks anticipates reaching .7 billion in annualized revenue by July, with a growth rate of 50 percent and plans to hire 3,000 employees in 2025. Lakebase is currently in Public Preview.

Tech Optimizer

June 14, 2025

Striim Announces Neon Serverless Postgres Support with Databricks

The integration of real-time data for AI applications is crucial, but traditional ETL processes can introduce latency and complexity. Open-source Postgres is a popular choice for developers, and Neon has developed an AI-driven approach to database creation. Databricks has launched Lakebase, a managed Postgres database, after acquiring Neon. Striim has expanded its Postgres offerings to facilitate high-throughput ingestion from Neon into Databricks for real-time analytics and enables rapid data delivery from legacy systems into Neon. This allows for seamless data flow for AI applications, including support for real-time ingestion, Change Data Capture (CDC), and event streaming from Apache Kafka. Striim's platform supports operational data replication from various traditional systems and upholds data governance with AI-driven PII detection. This expansion enhances partnerships with Databricks and supports real-time SQL Server data access.

Winsage

June 14, 2025

LibreOffice backs campaign to help users move from Windows 10 to Linux – and ditch Office, too

Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, prompting users to consider upgrading to Windows 11 or exploring alternatives like Linux. The End of 10 initiative aims to guide users toward affordable options, particularly Linux and LibreOffice, as many existing Windows 10 devices may not meet Windows 11's hardware requirements. The transition to Windows 11 may also lead to increased costs and reduced user autonomy due to its cloud-centric design. LibreOffice, an open-source productivity suite, offers essential tools without licensing fees and promotes open standards, though compatibility with Microsoft Office documents may vary. The Document Foundation suggests three steps for transitioning to Linux and LibreOffice: testing the new platform, assessing software compatibility, and providing training for users.

Tech Optimizer

June 13, 2025

Postgres and the Lakehouse Are Becoming One System — Here’s What Comes Next

Developers are increasingly using Postgres for application needs alongside lakehouse technologies for analytics and data science. Postgres has evolved into a versatile operational database suitable for various applications, while lakehouse technologies enable organizations to manage and analyze large-scale data efficiently. There is a growing synergy between these systems, although they often operate in silos managed by different teams. An emerging architectural paradigm views Postgres and lakehouses as complementary layers within a modular framework to address both operational and analytical requirements. Historically, OLTP systems were used for transactions and OLAP systems for analysis, but this model is shifting. Scenarios such as financial applications requiring real-time risk reports and SaaS applications calculating usage metrics are becoming standard. Effective communication between product-engineering teams managing operational systems and data teams overseeing lakehouse services is essential for enhancing system resilience. A trend called operational medallion architecture incorporates bronze, silver, and gold layers for real-time and user-facing systems. The bronze layer consists of raw data, the silver layer contains cleaned data in Postgres for real-time analytics, and the gold layer features pre-aggregated data for low-latency experiences. Each layer is queryable, allowing for bidirectional data movement between S3 and Postgres. Key developments facilitating the integration of operational databases and lakehouses include the maturation of Iceberg as a flexible table format, the evolution of Postgres with support for various data types and querying capabilities, and a growing demand for composability among developers. The market is moving towards modular, open, and developer-friendly architectures that integrate operational and analytical layers. Future data infrastructure will focus on interconnected components and coherent modern data architecture that serves both operational and non-operational use cases seamlessly.

Tech Optimizer

June 13, 2025

Databricks opens up agentic AI pipelines, fills in Postgres-powered Lakebase

Databricks has introduced advancements at its user conference, focusing on agentic AI pipelines and a Postgres-powered Lakebase. The Lakebase streamlines data management and analytics by combining PostgreSQL with Databricks' data lake architecture. The agentic AI pipelines automate data workflows, allowing organizations to gain AI-driven insights with minimal manual intervention. Key features include automated workflows that reduce processing time, enhanced data management through a familiar relational database experience, and the ability to extract actionable insights using advanced AI capabilities.

Tech Optimizer

June 12, 2025

Striim Announces Neon Serverless Postgres Support to Broaden Agentic AI Use Cases with Databricks

The demand for real-time data in artificial intelligence is increasing, but integrating data from legacy systems poses challenges due to traditional ETL pipelines that can introduce latency. Open-source Postgres is favored for operational needs, and Neon offers a new approach to database creation using AI agents. Databricks has launched Lakebase, a managed Postgres database for AI applications, after acquiring Neon. Striim has expanded its Postgres offerings to enable high-throughput data ingestion from Neon into Databricks for real-time analytics and supports rapid data delivery from legacy systems into Neon. Striim's platform allows real-time replication of operational data from various traditional systems to Neon, real-time ingestion into Databricks, and enhances generative AI applications with inline data enrichment. Alok Pareek from Striim highlighted the importance of this expansion for Postgres-native teams to build real-time AI architectures. Striim also supports Databricks Delta Lake and SQL2Fabric-X for real-time SQL Server data access. Striim's platform processes over 100 billion daily events with sub-second latency, aiding proactive decision-making.

Tech Optimizer

June 12, 2025

‘Postgres Has Won’

Databricks has launched Lakebase, a fully managed Postgres database, during the Data + AI Summit 2025. Lakebase is currently in public preview and integrates with Databricks' Data Intelligence Platform, targeting AI-driven application development. It introduces an operational layer to the lakehouse ecosystem, allowing developers to build AI applications on a multi-cloud platform. The database architecture, powered by Neon, separates compute from storage for independent scaling, ensuring low latency and high concurrency. Lakebase supports rapid deployment and a usage-based pricing model, and features include copy-on-write clones for development and testing. Databricks aims to create a new category in the database market with Lakebase, which is built on open-source Postgres and compatible with existing tools. The operational database market is valued at over 0 billion, and recent surveys indicate PostgreSQL's rising popularity among developers. The launch follows Snowflake's acquisition of Crunchy Data to enhance its Postgres offerings, indicating a trend towards PostgreSQL in the industry.

Winsage

June 12, 2025

UEFI BIOS flaws: SecureBoot bypass and firmware replacement possible

Recent findings have identified two vulnerabilities in various UEFI BIOS versions from multiple manufacturers, compromising the SecureBoot mechanism. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to bypass SecureBoot protections and replace firmware, particularly in Insyde BIOSes. The issues stem from unprotected NVRAM variables, specifically the "IhisiParamBuffer," which can be manipulated to execute unsigned UEFI binaries. Affected UEFI applications include "DTBios" and "BiosFlashShell" from DTResearch, with a CVSS score of 8.2. Microsoft has added 14 new hashes to its DBX database to mitigate these risks. Additionally, a vulnerability in the Insyde H2O UEFI firmware app allows attackers to infiltrate digital certificates due to the insecure handling of the "SecureFlashCertData" variable, which is incorrectly treated as trusted memory. This flaw, known as "Hydroph0bia," has a CVSS score of 7.8 and enables unauthorized execution of firmware certified with manipulated certificates. Manufacturers are urged to provide firmware updates to address these vulnerabilities, as inconsistent support for locking UEFI variables raises security concerns.

Tech Optimizer

June 12, 2025

Databricks launches Lakebase Postgres database for AI era

Databricks has launched Lakebase, a fully managed Postgres database designed for AI applications, currently in Public Preview. It integrates an operational database layer into Databricks' Data Intelligence Platform, facilitating the development of data applications and AI agents in a multi-cloud environment. Lakebase uses Neon technology within a lakehouse architecture, allowing for efficient real-time data processing and scalable operations. Key features include independent scaling of compute and storage, low latency under 10 milliseconds, high concurrency over 10,000 queries per second, rapid launch times under a second, and a consumption-based payment model. It also offers data synchronization with lakehouse tables, an online feature store for machine learning, and is managed entirely by Databricks with built-in security features. During its Private Preview, Lakebase attracted participation from hundreds of enterprises across various sectors. It is supported by a partner network including Accenture, Deloitte, and others, and will receive further enhancements in the coming months.