Databricks Launches Free Edition and Announces $100 Million Investment to Develop the Next Generation of Data and AI Talent
New offering provides free access to the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to help everyone from students to aspiring professionals develop critical skills in data and AI
SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, 2025 /CNW/ -- Data + AI Summit -- Databricks, the Data and AI company, today announced a $100 million investment in global data and AI education, aimed at closing the industry-wide talent gap and preparing the next generation of data and AI engineers, data analysts and data scientists. This initiative includes the launch of Databricks Free Edition, a new offering to provide everyone — from students, hobbyists and aspiring professionals to university systems — free access to the full capabilities of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, and a comprehensive set of trainings to accelerate their knowledge of data and AI technologies.
Enterprises are racing to harness the power of data and AI, but they face the same challenge: a shortage of skilled talent. According to World Economic Forum data, eight out of ten business leaders expect AI to fundamentally reshape their organizations by 2030. Databricks' new initiative addresses this head-on, empowering academic institutions, students and aspiring professionals with the same data and AI tools used by leading companies as well as training to upskill on those tools.
"Everyone we speak to is constrained by the same problem: not enough people with the right data and AI skills," said Ali Ghodsi, Co-founder and CEO of Databricks. "With the right investment and the right tools, we will see more AI innovation in this next generation than all previous generations combined. That's why we're making a long-term bet on education — not just to close the talent gap, but because it's fundamental to our mission of democratizing data and AI."
Databricks Free Edition Highlights
The new Databricks Free Edition is designed to set future data and AI professionals up for success with a comprehensive data, analytics and AI platform that mirrors what they will use in industry roles. With Databricks Free Edition, anyone can experiment across the full extent of data and AI use cases on one platform, from executing SQL queries and creating data visualizations to building AI apps:
Build AI agents and applications using Mosaic AI, and learn how to prepare data and deploy, evaluate and govern AI systems, while experimenting with some of the latest foundation models.
Collaborate on data science and ML projects in shared notebooks that support Python, SQL and more — perfect for group work, experimentation and showcasing your work.
Create beautiful, interactive dashboards and ask natural language questions of your data using Genie, a next-gen AI-powered business intelligence tool.
Query and analyze data with SQL using the built-in SQL editor to sharpen your data analysis skills and explore real datasets like a pro.
Learn how to build reliable data pipelines and become a data engineer using Databricks Lakeflow to ingest, transform and orchestrate data from various sources.
Get instant coding help while you learn with Databricks Assistant, which helps you write, fix and understand code as you work in notebooks, queries and files.
Invite friends and teammates to collaborate in a shared environment — explore, learn and create together in real time, just like in the workplace.
Free unlimited access to training content on Databricks Academy provides on-demand learning experiences for all skill levels, helping you succeed and accelerate your Data and AI journey.
Democratizing Databricks Academy
Databricks Academy is the centralized destination for building Data and AI skills at every level. With hundreds of hours of always up-to-date, self-paced content, learners can follow curated role- and skill-based pathways in Data Engineering, Data Analysis, Machine Learning and Generative AI. Starting today, all self-paced courses are available free of charge to all users, supporting our mission to democratize data and AI. Whether you're just getting started or deepening your expertise, Databricks Academy offers role-based learning journeys aligned to the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.
Investing in Databricks University Alliance Program
Databricks Free Edition will serve as a key enabler in the company's educational push. Databricks will offer students and faculty access to the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform — mirroring industry environments and enabling everything from visualizing data on dashboards to building AI models.
This builds on the Databricks University Alliance program, a global initiative designed to empower universities, educators and students with free access to Databricks' leading data and AI tools, resources and educational materials. The program, which already supports over 1,200 institutions, including Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California Berkeley School of Information and 100,000 students worldwide, aims to bridge the skills gap in data science, engineering and artificial intelligence by providing hands-on experience with industry-standard technologies such as Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow.
"As long-time partners of Databricks, we are encouraged by their expanded commitment to supporting teaching in academia," said Marco Morales, professor at Columbia University. "The resources Databricks provides — rooted in open source technology and ongoing product innovation — are vital for preparing students to excel as data scientists, engineers, and analysts in a rapidly evolving industry."
"We are thrilled to see Databricks' commitment to expanding access and resources with their technologies to the global university community," said Polo Chau, professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. "We teach the world's largest data and visual analytics course, educating over 1,200 students every semester, and are committed to equipping the next-generation data practitioners with cutting-edge tools and technologies like the new Databricks Free Edition."
"At Texas A&M, we believe equipping students with real-world, hands-on experience with data and AI tools is essential. We are thrilled to see Databricks' commitment to democratizing access to cutting-edge data technologies for the global university community," said Arnold Castro, Assistant Dean for AI of Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. "By integrating these technologies into the classroom, we're empowering our graduates to innovate and drive data-driven transformation in the AI era."
"Databricks' announcement marks a significant milestone in the global shift toward the AI economy," said Alvaro Solano, Faculty Professor and Lead Technology Consultant, Engineering, AI/ML, Cloud Computing and 5G at the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. "In Costa Rica, we've had the privilege of partnering closely with Databricks—both locally and at the corporate level—to lay the foundation for positioning our country as a leading hub for data and AI innovation in Latin America. The open source nature of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform makes it accessible and scalable for data professionals at every level, from analysts to data scientists. We're looking forward to the transformative impact this commitment will have on the next generation of data practitioners across Latin America."
Availability
Databricks Free Edition is launching in Public Preview today — more information here. To learn about Databricks Academy and access free self-paced training content, please visit this page.
About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 15,000 organizations worldwide — including Block, Comcast, Condé Nast, Rivian, Shell and over 60% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to take control of their data and put it to work with AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake, MLflow, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.
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