Databricks Acquires SiftD.ai to Power Agentic Security Platform

Databricks announced the acquisition of SiftD.ai as part of its entry into the cybersecurity market with the launch of Lakewatch, an open agentic Security Information and Event Management platform. The deal closed on Monday, March 24, 2026, following a rapid negotiation process that took place over the last couple of weeks. SiftD.ai, which had only launched its product in November 2025, developed an interactive notebook tool designed for collaboration between security analysts and AI agents. The startup was co-founded by Steve Zhang, who previously served as chief scientist at Splunk through 2021 and created the Search Processing Language, a foundational technology for security data analysis. According to available information, SiftD.ai was a very small operation with only a handful of employees, making the acquisition appear to be primarily an acquihire focused on bringing technical talent and expertise into Databricks.

The acquisition strengthens Databricks' ability to deliver advanced threat detection and response capabilities within Lakewatch. SiftD.ai's expertise in large-scale detection engineering and modern threat analytics complements Databricks' data lakehouse platform, enabling the company to unify security, IT, and business data for AI-powered threat hunting and automated response. Databricks simultaneously acquired Antimatter, a security startup founded by UC Berkeley researchers that had raised $12 million in 2022, to add capabilities in secure authentication and authorization for AI agents. Both acquisitions were completed as part of Databricks' $5 billion funding round that closed in February 2026, providing the company with resources to expand beyond its core data analytics business into enterprise security operations.