Alation Acquires Numbers Station to Boost AI Data Capabilities

Alation Acquires Numbers Station to Enhance AI Data Capabilities

Data intelligence platform Alation has acquired AI-native data application builder Numbers Station to empower its customers with AI agents that operate directly on their structured data. The acquisition price was not disclosed.

Numbers Station, a Series A startup, has raised over $17 million in venture capital. This acquisition will allow Alation to integrate Numbers Station's technology into its platform by the end of this quarter, according to Alation co-founder and CEO Satyen Sangani.

One of the things that gave us a lot of confidence is the [companies] are architected in such a fundamentally complementary way that we could get the integration done really fast.

Addressing the Challenges of LLMs in the Enterprise

Sangani highlighted the growing use of large language models (LLMs) for data consumption. However, the tendency of LLMs to "hallucinate" has hindered enterprise adoption of AI data tools. Alation aims to address this challenge by incorporating a translation layer between LLMs and enterprise data.

Numbers Station's existing AI agents for structured data made it a natural fit for providing this crucial translation layer. The connection is further strengthened by Venky Ganti, a former Alation co-founder, having worked at Numbers Station.

The ability to make LLMs communicate with core enterprise databases is key to scaling LLMs within the enterprise.

Accelerating AI Agent Development

Alation began developing its own AI agents last year, including agents for data quality and documentation, slated for release this quarter. The Numbers Station acquisition accelerates the development and deployment of workflow automations.

Alation brings its extensive metadata, data context, vast connector library, and enterprise knowledge to the partnership. Numbers Station contributes its cutting-edge LLM technology and ability to operate on structured data.

About Alation

Founded in 2012, Alation serves over 600 enterprise customers, including Nasdaq, Hertz, and Samsung. The company has raised over $300 million in venture funding and was last valued at $1.7 billion in 2022.