AWS acquires DuckLabs to expand DuckDB analytics capabilities

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DuckLabs, the Amsterdam-based developer of the popular open-source analytical database DuckDB. The acquisition, expected to close in early September, will see the DuckLabs team join AWS while remaining based in Amsterdam.

Co-founders Hannes Mühleisen and Mark Raasveldt will continue to lead the team and set the technical direction for the project. The deal is viewed as a strategic move to enhance AWS's data analytics capabilities, particularly by integrating DuckDB's high-performance, embeddable engine with services like Amazon S3 and SageMaker Lakehouse.

Despite the acquisition, the DuckDB project itself will remain free and open source under the MIT license. Stewardship of the open-source project, including related initiatives like DuckLake and Quack, will continue under the independent, non-profit DuckDB Foundation. The Foundation also plans to establish a technical advisory board to allow commercial users to influence the project roadmap.