Informatica unveils new AI & data tools for Azure

Informatica has announced the release of three advanced capabilities for Microsoft Azure, aimed at facilitating the deployment and activation of AI and Analytics-driven innovations using trusted data.

These new capabilities include the GenAI Blueprint for Azure OpenAI Service, which aims to expedite the development and deployment of enterprise-grade GenAI and copilot experiences.

According to Informatica, this is accomplished through reference architectures and templates utilising its Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC) platform alongside Azure OpenAI Service.

The enhanced SQL ELT for Microsoft Azure introduces no-code data pipeline definition and execution with in-database SQL-based processing, optimised for increased performance and scalability.

This enhancement aligns with Informatica's designation as the first independent software vendor to offer ELT for Microsoft Fabric data warehouse, facilitating organisations in data consolidation and transformation within the Microsoft Fabric's data warehouse environment.

Informatica also revealed support for Open Table Iceberg on Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, which aims to enhance data migration and integration. This support is said to unlock the price-to-performance benefits of the Iceberg format in managing large-scale data sets essential for AI.

The Blueprint for Azure OpenAI Service seeks to simplify the creation of enterprise-grade GenAI applications through seamless integration with Azure OpenAI Service, Azure AI Search, and vector databases like Pinecone on Azure.

Informatica states that this will "enable organisations to fast-track AI initiatives while maintaining data integrity and governance".

Informatica emphasises that its industry-leading Master Data Management (MDM) solution plays a critical role in these new capabilities, enriching GenAI applications with trusted enterprise data.

Furthermore, the new advancements include contextualised prompts and responses based on standardised business glossary terms, with embedded data quality controls to enhance the selection of datasets within a Retrieve, Answer, Generate (RAG) framework.

Pratik Parekh, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Informatica, commented, "These new blueprints and data management innovations are built specifically for Microsoft services to ensure Microsoft customers adopting Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Fabric and open table format support in Azure benefit from the full range of IDMC data management capabilities to accelerate and scale their AI and analytics initiatives."

Asha Sharma, Corporate Vice President and Head of Product for Microsoft's AI platform, added, "Our collaboration with Informatica continues to redefine how businesses are using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. Informatica's powerful blueprint is enabling customer adoption of Azure OpenAI Service solutions, and its Open Table Iceberg support is fueling new AI solutions by bringing more data into Azure."

The announcement from Informatica places a notable emphasis on the synergy between its advanced data management capabilities and Microsoft's AI and analytics services, particularly the Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Fabric, and support for the Apache Iceberg open table format.

These integrations are positioned to provide users with optimised performance, cost benefits in data storage, and enhanced analytic capabilities within the Azure environment.