Key takeaways

• Cloud-native Tech (CNT) surged amid overall decline: Cloud Tech funding saw a dramatic drop (-81% QoQ), totaling USD 699 million across 16 funding rounds. CNT was the only area to show a QoQ increase (+226% QoQ), raising USD 494 million and accounting for ~71% of the total. This surge was spearheaded by Grafana Lab's USD 270 million raise, along with Kong and Supabase, each securing USD 80 million. Additionally, early-stage funding gained traction, with Gcore, Armada, nOps, and Archera raising over USD 30 million each.

• Elevating edge computing and cloud optimization with AI: Developments in Edge Computing and CNT highlight a strong focus on AI integration, with new offerings from Cognizant, Advantech, SensiML, Red Hat, and Redis aimed at enhancing intelligent decision-making and real-time analytics. Additionally, cloud cost optimization solutions from Harness, Nutanix, Zesty, and Rafay Systems focused on enhancing efficiency and cost management across diverse cloud environments.

• Edge AI and CNT enhancements led: Partnerships like Advantech-Canonical and Blaize-Vantiq highlighted AI integration in edge computing, which aim to enhance intelligent decision-making and efficiency in IoT and industrial settings. Meanwhile, CNT enhancements were evident in collaborations such as Platform9-Fairwinds and Dell-Red Hat, focusing on cost management and simplifying AI infrastructure for enterprises.

• CNT carried three out of five deals: K1 Investment Management's acquisition of MariaDB signaled a strategic shift, potentially preparing for future sale or partnerships. IBM strengthened its cloud cost management position by acquiring Kubecost, a specialist in Kubernetes cost monitoring and optimization. HPE’s and Confluent's acquisitions of Morpheus Data and WarpStream, respectively, demonstrate ongoing consolidation and capability expansion in Cloud Tech.

• Edge AI innovation continued: The Cloud Tech industry is poised for significant advancements in edge computing and AI integration, enabling real-time data processing at the network edge. Red Hat, Google, VMware, and other key players are innovating and collaborating to make edge computing smarter, more efficient, and accessible, addressing latency and data privacy challenges. These developments will unlock new AI-powered applications across various industries such as real-time predictive maintenance for manufacturing, AI-assisted robotic surgery, autonomous vehicle navigation, and intelligent traffic management.

• Partnerships boosted cloud-native AI innovation and optimization: Concurrently, cloud-native technologies are evolving, emphasizing improved Kubernetes management and cost optimization. As cloud-native adoption surges, partnerships among Platform9, Fairwinds, Harness, and Google Cloud are tackling cost control challenges and integrating GenAI technologies into cloud deployments. The industry is moving toward more intelligent, automated, and holistic solutions. This trend suggests a future where AI-driven insights, multi-cloud support, and integrated management platforms will become standard, helping businesses become more efficient and cost-effective in their cloud operations.

Appendix

Appendix 1: Cloud Tech product updates

Appendix 2: Cloud Tech partnerships

Appendix 3: New Cloud Tech startups added in Q1 2024

Appendix 4: Cloud Tech funding rounds