Data analytics software maker Databricks said in a statement on Tuesday that it's acquiring Tabular, a startup that helps optimize data stored in the cloud. The gesture could help Databricks more quickly bring out products as it faces competition from Snowflake and other entities. Databricks is paying over $1 billion to buy Tabular, Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi said in an interview. Snowflake was also bidding on Tabular, as was Confluent , a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Focusing more on Iceberg tables might allow Databricks to take business from Snowflake clients that embrace the format.

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Persons: Ali Ghodsi, Databricks, Snowflake, Ryan Blue, Dan Weeks, Okta, Mike Scarpelli, Morgan Stanley, Ghodsi, Andreessen Horowitz, Frank Slootman's, Jefferies, Brent Thill Organizations: Databricks, Summit, Street Journal, CNBC, Developers, Netflix, Salesforce, Amazon, Services, Monday, Zetta Venture Partners Locations: San Francisco, Snowflake, Delta