MariaDB highlights in 2024: Vectors, K1, and contributions

New Year’s Eve is when everyone takes stock of the year that has passed. At MariaDB Foundation, we’re no different.

The technical highlight: MariaDB Vector

It’s not hard to pick the technical MariaDB highlight of the year: It’s MariaDB Vector.

No big surprise there: The biggest new thing in IT is AI. AI is getting mainstream. Mainstream applications need databases. Databases need stability, performance, ease of use. And low cost.

The solution: MariaDB Server. It’s relational. It’s standard. It’s Open Source.

The business highlight: MariaDB plc on a solid footing

It’s equally easy to pick the business MariaDB highlight of the year: K1 taking over MariaDB plc.

What do you expect from vector storage in databases?

We’re no mind readers, so from time to time, we like to do polls. Polls are quantitative in nature, so coming up with the right question is not enough – we need to do a bit of mind reading in coming up with the alternatives.

Quick development of text based RAG apps

Our hypothesis was that RAG is the cool thing to do with vector based databases, and specifically text based RAG. The conference talks we’ve given on MariaDB Vector (such as at the 24th SFSCON in Bozen, Südtirol, Italy on 8 Nov 2024) have stressed the value of easily being able to develop AI applications that answer user prompts based on knowledge in a specific text mass, not on the overall training data of an LLM.

IBM upgrading Gold to Platinum

Good news: IBM is upgrading their Gold sponsorship to Platinum!

Our trinity: Adoption, Openness, Continuity

The three pillars of MariaDB Foundation are Adoption, Openness, and Continuity.

Adoption means that we work towards MariaDB Server to be used everywhere, where you need databases. We think Open Source RDBMSes are the way to go, and we want you to choose MariaDB Server.

Openness means that we work towards making it easy for everyone to contribute towards making MariaDB Server the best Open Source RDBMS. Be it code, documentation, training materials, bug reports, feature requests.

MariaDB Day Sat 1 Feb 2025 in Brussels

We have the date, we have the place , we have the theme! So we ask you to save the date.

Date: Saturday 1 Feb 2025 (10:00-17:00)

Place: Brussels, SQ Lily-Rose, Avenue Arnaud Fraiteur 15-23, close to FOSDEM

Theme: Vectors, RAG and all things new in MariaDB Server

Registration: Please register here with Meetup

With the Open Source community convening for FOSDEM, we have noted Brussels during the first weekend of February is a great time to meet, chat, and share news and ideas.

Celebrating 15 years of innovation

We have been in festive mode this week, celebrating fifteen years of MariaDB. You may have seen our very own Ian Gilfillan’s blog MariaDB Server turns fifteen!, or the blog of Alejandro Duarte of MariaDB plc, MariaDB Server Turns 15! Here Are 15 Reasons Why Developers and DBAs Love It.

Technical overview by the creator of MariaDB Server

Now, MariaDB Server’s creator Michael »Monty« Widenius has chimed in, with a lot of technical detail. Hardly anybody is better equipped to create this technical overview, Celebrating 15 years of MariaDB.

MariaDB – the Foundation, the Company, and the Future of the Sea Lion

Did you read the TechCrunch article on MariaDB? “How do you solve a problem like MariaDB? Cozy up to the community, says new CEO“. If not, I suggest you do!

We’re in India 23-25 Oct 2024!

And if you want to know more, and happen to be in India at the end of the month, come and listen to me interviewing MariaDB creator Michael “Monty” Widenius, MariaDB plc’s new CEO Rohit de Souza, and MariaDB plc’s new Chief Product Officer Vikas Mathur. We’ll be at Open Source India on 23-24 Oct 2024 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, and we’re adding a MariaDB ServerFest India on Friday 25 Oct 2024.

MariaDB ServerFest Berlin 17 Sep 2024

Come join us in Berlin, on Tue 17 Sep 2024! It’s time for our next MariaDB Server Fest, which we invite you to enjoy in person or virtually.

MariaDB Server Fests are the events where MariaDB Foundation and friends celebrate and share the latest new happenings in the world of MariaDB Server. And Berlin is a great place to be – to work in, to travel to, to meet in.

Welcome to Berlin!

The physical event is hosted by MariaDB Foundation’s valued sponsor IONOS, on Revaler Straße 30 in the vibrant and trendy Friedrichshain area of Berlin.

Case IBM Power 10: A further step for MariaDB Server

Good news: This week, two of MariaDB Foundation’s sponsors – IBM and MariaDB plc – made an announcement that we believe to be good for both parties, as well as for the MariaDB Server user base. We humbly (and boldly) believe that this was enabled by MariaDB Foundation’s living by its core values of Adoption, Openness, and Continuity. 

Let me explain why, and start with the announcement itself:

MariaDB Enterprise Server Launches on IBM Power 10

MariaDB plc’s offering to its customers, MariaDB Enterprise Server, was launched for IBM Power 10. This was supported by a blog post from MariaDB plc (MariaDB Enterprise Server Launches on IBM Power10) and another by IBM (Announcing support for MariaDB Enterprise Server on IBM Power).