IBM is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire data infrastructure firm Confluent for approximately US$11 billion.

This was disclosed in a statement on Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The deal could be finalized and announced as early as Monday, the report added.

Confluent currently has a market value of around US$8.09 billion, according to LSEG data.

Neither Confluent nor IBM responded to Reuters’ requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The acquisition would represent IBM’s largest deal in years, reflecting its ongoing shift toward artificial-intelligence technologies, the report noted.

Last year, IBM struck a deal to acquire cloud-software company HashiCorp for US$6.4 billion, part of its broader push into higher-growth cloud and AI sectors.

The company has also been advancing its quantum-computing projects and using AI to automate certain HR tasks, while redeploying employees toward programming and sales positions.