The real-time race: Why speed is becoming India Inc’s biggest competitive edge

India Inc’s next phase of digital transformation is being shaped not just by AI, but by how quickly companies can process and act on data. From quick commerce to banking, enterprises are increasingly investing in real-time systems that power instant decisions, whether it is fraud detection, dynamic pricing, or delivery tracking.

At the centre of this shift is Confluent, a US-based data streaming firm founded by the creators of Apache Kafka and most recently acquired by IBM at an all-cash deal of $11 billion. The company provides the infrastructure for “data in motion,” allowing businesses to process information as it is generated. Its clients in India include digital-native firms such as Meesho, Swiggy and InMobi, which rely heavily on real-time data to run high-frequency operations.

For Gregory Taylor, General Manager and SVP, APAC at Confluent, India is fast becoming a key growth market. Speaking to Business Today, he said, “If we use the last three years as a barometer… we are going to see this kind of compounding effect. The Indian market here is growing at a tremendous rate… it is one of the largest markets in Asia Pacific and globally.”

India is among the top five markets for Confluent, the first being the USA.

Yet, the opportunity comes with a structural shift. “What we do see in India is… they’re going from an on-prem old 20-year-old system and saying it’s time to replatform. And they’re jumping a generation of technology and going straight to a data stream platform.” Taylor added, pointing to India’s leapfrogging trend.

On the ground, this transformation is being driven by business needs as much as technology. As Rubal Sahni, AVP, India and Emerging Markets, explained, real-time capabilities are now central to customer experience and risk management. “In real time, these platforms analyse if there’s a risk or a consumer behaviour.”

He added that the same architecture is critical for financial services. “Before even the transaction is over, they can stop the transaction… they can figure out if it’s fraud.”

To tap this demand, Confluent is expanding its India play through partnerships such as with Jio Cloud to address data localisation requirements, alongside broader collaborations. The company is also seeing rising demand beyond digital natives, particularly in BFSI, manufacturing, and public sector entities.

As enterprises scale digital operations, in India’s increasingly competitive market, speed is not just a feature; it is fast becoming the foundation of business strategy, as both Taylor and Sahni echoed.