The Open Table Format Revolution: Why Hyperscalers Are Betting on Managed Iceberg

Open table formats like Apache Iceberg are transforming data architecture by enabling database-like features on distributed files stored in object storage, challenging the traditional data warehouse model and promoting the Lakehouse architecture. This shift is driven by the flexibility of querying Iceberg tables with any SQL-supporting engine, offering cost-effective and powerful data storage solutions. The ICE Stack—Interoperable, Composable, and Efficient—facilitates this transformation by allowing seamless data exchange across different engines and vendors without vendor lock-in, fostering an open, standardized approach. Major players like AWS, Databricks, and Cloudflare are investing heavily in managed Iceberg solutions, which provide database-like experiences while maintaining the cost benefits of object storage. These developments point toward an industry convergence on open standards, with managed Iceberg tables offering strategic advantages like interoperability, cost efficiency, and the ability to use polyglot compute engines, ultimately giving organizations more control and flexibility over their data.