Sridhar Ramaswamy, the CEO of Snowflake, believes AI is a transformative wave that is comparable to the era of the internet and mobile phones. He calls it a pivotal “before-and-after moment” with “massive” potential for innovation.
In an interview with CNBC TV18, Ramaswamy positions Snowflake at the heart of this AI revolution primarily due to its data strength. He argues AI unlocks unprecedented value in data, enabling any businessperson to query complex information in natural language. This capability accelerates insight generation from existing data investments.
Snowflake recently achieved its first billion-dollar quarter, projecting $4.3 billion in revenue this year. Ramaswamy declared a “billion-dollar run rate is the new normal,” setting an ambitious goal to build an iconic AI-era company. He states, “Data is going to be at the centre of the AI revolution. I was part of creating what Google became — a global icon. That’s the bar we’ve set for ourselves at Snowflake.”
Ramaswamy’s path to CEO, stemming from Snowflake’s acquisition of his startup Neeva in 2023, underscores adaptability. He finds his current role “thrilling,” excited to help over 10,000 customers derive value from their data, a sentiment echoed by a recent 20,000-attendee summit.
Historically, data was often secondary for companies, mainly for reporting. However, nimble organisations like Google continually use data for improvement. AI now drastically speeds up this process, enabling deeper insights from previously inaccessible data.
Snowflake’s key differentiator isn’t creating foundational AI models, but strategic partnerships with leaders like Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft and AWS. The core strength lies in seamlessly integrating these best-in-class models with high-quality enterprise data within Snowflake’s platform. This “one-platform mentality” means AI functionalities are an inherent part of their unified system, accelerating all data processes and solidifying Snowflake’s strategic advantage.
