By Madelyn Olson, Valkey project maintainer and Principal Engineer for AWS in-memory databases
As the industry pushes further into 2026, it’s worth a quick check in on where we’ve been. As a technology cohort 2025 filled our days with the newest, latest, greatest as it relates to AI. Other shiny technologies have also caught the attention of IT leadership, like faster chips, or post quantum cryptography on the horizon. In 2026, it’s tempting to keep industry focus on these developing technologies, but when I talk with engineering teams, the themes I hear are much more grounded: lower total cost of ownership, simpler stacks, and fewer surprises in their software.
Databases and data infrastructure are key to this. Not only are they foundational for the shiny new tools, but database functionality is a day-to-day concern for many developers. Changes at the database level will have ripple effects for all. Here are five ways I expect the data infrastructure world to shift in 2026.
1. Compression will become the next big lever for total cost of ownership
Burgeoning DRAM shortages and the wide use of memory-bound caches and in-memory databases, means if there’s room to grow in the database space, that will involve making memory footprints smaller. Efficiency will be a huge priority in 2026. The need for neater, streamlined tools and smaller costs is going to drive a wave of compression-focused work, use of SSDs, and improved caching strategy in 2026.
Memory-bound caches databases leave excess CPU on the table unused. By pursuing compression, engineering teams take advantage of excess CPU to bring down their memory compute without affecting latency or throughput. Questions from developers will pivot from “How fast is this database?” to “How many bytes do I really need to store this data?” and “How can I keep the right data in the cache?” The net effect: meaningful infrastructure savings, especially at scale.
2. In-memory systems will push deeper into durability
Durability can be a complicated topic for in-memory databases, but projects should be considering how they can strike a balance between non-ephemeral storage with the expectations on performance. This will require additional storage capabilities, more resilient replication and migration, and stronger guarantees around failure scenarios without losing data.
The challenge means threading a tricky needle: sustain performance while expanding durability that’s good enough for increasingly critical workloads. In our own efforts for the next Valkey version we’ve moved towards durability, ensuring our database functionality can serve an even wider swath of applications.
3. Messy tech sprawl will give way to consolidation
This prediction is really an ongoing focus for the entire industry: sprawl. Over the last decade, organizations have accumulated a zoo of database functionality and services. Teams might have one for caching, one for search, and another for queues, and so on. Complexity is expensive and there’s economic pressure everywhere to reduce expense, so any database that’s not focusing on lower total cost of ownership (TCO) is going to have a tough time in 2026.
Once engineers are able to ask, “Do we need this?” there will be a move toward databases that provide utility across different use cases and are easy to operate. This will be a deliberate effort for consolidation and increased UX of the tech stack, one that prioritizes databases that can support several roles and streamline operations. Databases that have more niche or complex functionality will be facing some difficult questions in the year ahead.
4. Data management is becoming its own area of expertise
It’s been said, very often, that any software is only as good as the data it’s built on. When LLMs broke onto the scene in 2022, this was heavily discussed – with companies competing for training data and getting into heated legal battles for it. In the past several years, it’s been a learning for all that managing data effectively is integral to performance.
The next wave in the data space: the creation of dedicated teams, resources, and programs to push data management forward. Data management is going to move from an assumed skill found amongst IT professionals to a key department within successful organizations. In fact, Snap and Apple have created focused teams for data management, called caching or online database platform teams. More and more organizations are likely to create teams like these for their data management goals.
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All together, these trends point toward a pretty pragmatic future for the database industry. It’s not making headlines on its own, but when your database and supporting strategy is not up to snuff, the ramifications are significant for all operations. No one wants to wrestle with their data every day.
Organizations and their leaders need to prioritize cost, efficiency, and ease-of-use in 2026. With these ideas as guidelines on the future of data infrastructure, IT leaders will see success this year.
