Oracle Adds AI-Powered Vector Search to Converged Database

Oracle, a provider of integrated suites of applications and secure infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud, has introduced Oracle Database 23ai. 

This latest release of Oracle’s converged database introduces more than 300 features aimed at simplifying the use of artificial intelligence (AI) with data, accelerating app development and running critical workloads, the company said in a Thursday (May 2) press release.

“Oracle Database 23ai is a game changer for enterprises worldwide, and because of the importance of the breakthrough AI technology in this release, we are renaming it to Oracle Database 23ai,” Juan Loaiza, executive vice president of mission-critical database technologies at Oracle, said in the release.

One of the key highlights of Oracle Database 23ai is the introduction of Oracle AI Vector Search capabilities, according to the release. This feature allows customers to easily search for documents, images and other unstructured data based on their conceptual content, rather than specific words, pixels or data values.

By securely combining search for both unstructured and private business data, Oracle Database 23ai eliminates the need to move or duplicate data, the release said.

Unlike traditional AI algorithms that require moving data to where the algorithm resides, Oracle Database 23ai brings AI algorithms to where the data lives. This enables AI to run in real-time within Oracle databases, improving the effectiveness, efficiency and security of AI applications, per the release.

Oracle Database 23ai is available as a broad range of cloud services in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) on Oracle Exadata Database Service, Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer, and Oracle Base Database Service. Additionally, it is also available on Oracle Database@Azure, according to the release.

In addition to AI Vector Search, Oracle Database 23ai introduces several other capabilities, the release said. These include Oracle Exadata System Software 24ai, which accelerates AI Vector Search for large volumes of data and high numbers of users, and OCI GoldenGate 23ai, which enables real-time replication of vectors across heterogeneous vector stores. 

It was reported in December that Oracle has been striving to expand its cloud infrastructure business to better compete with Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google.

In March, Oracle added new generative AI capabilities to its Fusion Cloud Applications Suite, saying these capabilities are embedded in existing business workflows across finance, supply chain, human resources (HR), sales, marketing and service.

In April, Oracle Financial Services introduced an AI-powered cloud service that helps banks mitigate anti-money laundering (AML) risks.