Databricks to Invest ~$3 Billion Across Europe and the Middle East to Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption

• Scales adoption for Lakebase, Genie and Unity Gateway: Gives businesses across the region the context, control, choice and cost optimization needed to scale agents
• Helps organizations get real value from AI: Adds engineers, AI experts and customer teams across EMEA to help enterprises such as adidas, Danone, Heineken, and startups such as Linkup and Xoople build AI that understands their business context
• Plans to train ~ 500,000 people by 2030 and expand European R&D hubs: Will train half a million students and professionals across EMEA in data and AI skills, and grow its local engineering hubs where core parts of the Databricks Data + AI Platform are built

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 11, 2026 - Databricks, the Data and AI company, today announced plans to invest approximately $3 billion across Europe and the Middle East over the next three years, its largest regional investment outside North America. This will expand Databricks' R&D teams and put more experts alongside customers and partners as they scale AI impact across their organizations with Lakebase, Genie, and Unity Gateway.

Databricks also plans to train ~ 500,000 students and professionals in data and AI skills across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) by 2030 and to deepen its support for the region's startups. Databricks works with many of EMEA's largest organizations, including ABN Amro, adidas, Danone, Heineken, HelloFresh, Mercedes-Benz and Nationwide, to build AI that understands their business context.

From AI Pilots to Business Impact
As European organizations move AI from pilots to company-wide use, four challenges determine whether it pays off: context, grounding agents in real business knowledge; control, governing what agents can access and do; choice, avoiding platform lock-in; and cost, managing spend as usage grows. The Databricks Data + AI Platform addresses all four. Key capabilities include:

• Lakebase, a serverless Postgres database built for AI apps and agents.
• Genie, an AI coworker that turns business data into trusted answers and actions, grounded by Genie Ontology, a self-improving context layer built on the definitions, metrics, and sources the business already trusts.
• Unity Gateway, a multi-AI control plane delivering governance, smart routing, and cost controls.

"Trusted data is the foundation for better decisions and the successful adoption of AI. By modernizing our data platform on Databricks, we've created a governed environment that gives colleagues faster access to high-quality data and insight. As we continue to introduce AI-enabled capabilities such as Genie, we're making it easier for more people to explore data, understand our business and take informed action, all while maintaining the controls and trust that are central to Nationwide," said Sri Kanisapakkam, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, Nationwide Building Society.

How Databricks is Supporting EMEA Organizations:

• Engineering closer to customers: Core components of the Databricks Data + AI Platform are built at engineering hubs in Amsterdam, Berlin, Belgrade and Aarhus, all of which expanded over the past year. Engineers working alongside EMEA customers can turn local priorities for governance, model choice and cost control into product capabilities faster.
• More experts on the ground: Databricks opened four new EMEA offices over the past year, in Amsterdam, Milan, Zurich and Frankfurt, and now has more than 2,000 employees in the region. It expects to grow its EMEA team by approximately 50% over the next three years, giving customers more specialists in their own markets to help them scale AI throughout the business.
• Data and AI training for students and professionals: European organizations cite a lack of AI skills as a barrier to AI adoption. Databricks plans to train half a million people across EMEA by 2030 on the latest data and AI technologies - putting AI coworkers like Genie to work, building and shipping agentic applications, and context engineering, now backed by a new certification. Students, job seekers and working professionals can start for free. More than 80,000 people in EMEA signed up for Databricks Free Edition over the past year, and professional certifications earned across the EMEA partner network grew 70% year-over-year.
• Backing EMEA's startups. Over the past six months, Databricks has invested in three companies: French observability startup Tsuga and UK partner Advancing Analytics, both through Databricks Ventures; and UK AI startup Applied Computing, through its AI Accelerator Program. Databricks also works with fast-growing startups and unicorns across the region, including Flo Health, GetYourGuide, Linkup, and Xoople, and partners with founder hubs such as STATION F in Paris.

"Data from systems and AI agents is among the most valuable thing an enterprise has, and it shouldn't sit in a silo. Building on Databricks helps us bring new AI-powered features to our customers faster, and having Databricks as an investor as we scale across Europe is a real advantage," said Gabriel-James Safar, Co-Founder, Tsuga.

"In almost every boardroom I visit across EMEA, the conversation has changed. Leaders have seen AI work in pilots. EMEA's business leaders and founders want AI built for governance, choice and at controlled costs, and that's why we're investing here: scaling more of our platform across the region, putting more experts alongside our customers, and training almost half a million people so organizations of every size, from global enterprises to the next generation of European startups, can turn AI ambition into real results," said Samuel Bonamigo, SVP and GM, EMEA, Databricks.

About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide - including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever and 70% of the Fortune 500 - rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to unify their data, analytics and AI. Built on an open source foundation, the platform gives teams a simple way to build AI that understands their business context. The platform includes the products Lakebase, Genie, Unity Gateway, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram.

Contact: [email protected]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the news?
A: Databricks, the Data and AI company, announced plans to invest approximately $3 billion across Europe and the Middle East over the next three years. This is its largest regional investment outside North America. The investment will expand Databricks' R&D teams in the region and put more engineers, AI experts and customer teams alongside organizations as they scale AI with Lakebase, Genie and Unity Gateway. Databricks also plans to train ~500,000 people in data and AI skills across EMEA by 2030 and to deepen its support for the region's startups.

Q: Why is Databricks investing in Europe and the Middle East?
A: EMEA organizations are moving AI from pilots to company-wide use, and their business leaders and founders want AI built for governance, choice and controlled costs. Databricks is investing to scale more of its platform across the region, put more experts alongside customers, and train almost half a million people. The aim is to help organizations of every size turn AI ambition into real results.

Q: What is the Databricks Data + AI Platform?
A: Built on an open source foundation, the Databricks Data + AI Platform unifies an organization's data, analytics and AI. It addresses the four challenges that decide whether enterprise AI pays off: context, control, choice and cost.

Q: What is Databricks Lakebase?
A: Lakebase is Databricks' serverless Postgres database built for AI apps and agents.

Q: What is Genie?
A: Genie is Databricks' AI coworker that turns business data into trusted answers and actions. It lets people ask questions of their data in plain language and get trusted answers, all within a governed data foundation.

Q: What is Genie Ontology?
A: Genie Ontology is a self-improving context layer built on the definitions, metrics and sources a business already trusts. It grounds Genie in real business knowledge so that answers and actions are accurate and relevant.

Q: What is Unity Gateway?
A: Unity Gateway is Databricks' multi-AI control plane. It provides governance, smart routing and cost controls, so organizations can use multiple AI models while managing spend as usage grows.

Q: How are EMEA organizations using Databricks?
A: Databricks works with many of EMEA's largest organizations, including ABN AMRO, adidas, Danone, Heineken, HelloFresh, Mercedes-Benz and Nationwide.

• Nationwide Building Society modernized its data platform on Databricks, creating a governed environment that gives colleagues faster access to high-quality data and insight. It is now introducing AI-enabled capabilities such as Genie.

Q: Where does Databricks build its platform in Europe?
A: Core components of the Databricks Data + AI Platform are built at engineering hubs in Amsterdam, Berlin, Belgrade and Aarhus, all of which expanded over the past year. Engineers working alongside EMEA customers can turn local priorities for governance, model choice and cost control into product capabilities faster.

Q: How is Databricks expanding its team in EMEA?
A: Databricks has more than 2,000 employees in EMEA. Over the past year it opened four new offices, in Amsterdam, Milan, Zurich and Frankfurt. It expects to grow its EMEA team by approximately 50% over the next three years.

Q: How will Databricks help people build data and AI skills?
A: Databricks plans to train ~ 500,000 students and professionals across EMEA by 2030. The training covers putting AI coworkers like Genie to work, building and shipping agentic applications, and context engineering, now backed by a new certification. Students, job seekers and working professionals can start for free with Databricks Free Edition, which more than 80,000 people in EMEA signed up for over the past year.

Q: How is Databricks supporting EMEA startups?
A: Over the past six months, Databricks has invested in French observability startup Tsuga and UK partner Advancing Analytics through Databricks Ventures, and in UK AI startup Applied Computing through its AI Accelerator Program. Databricks also works with fast-growing startups and unicorns such as Flo Health, GetYourGuide, Linkup and Xoople, and partners with founder hubs such as STATION F in Paris.

Q: What does this investment mean for organizations in EMEA?
A: Organizations across the region will have more Databricks specialists in their own markets, faster delivery of product capabilities shaped by local priorities, and a larger pool of data and AI talent. The result is AI that understands their business context, with the control, choice and cost management they need to move from pilots to company-wide impact.