The convergence of cloud-native infrastructure, harmonized data layers and real-time automation is opening the door to agentic AI — intelligent systems that act autonomously and collaboratively across complex workflows. This evolution is not just technological but deeply cultural, requiring enterprises to rethink both operations and organizational models to keep pace with rapid innovation.

The industry is undergoing a major inflection point as traditional automation gives way to dynamic, situational intelligence powered by artificial intelligence agents. Discussions about infrastructure spending, enterprise readiness and startup acceleration reveal a high-stakes race to capture business value before the agentic AI wave fully crests. Yet amid the buzz, a recurring theme emerged: Real transformation takes time — and a solid data foundation, according to John Furrier (pictured, left), co-founder and co-CEO of SiIiconANGLE Media Inc.

“That’s different with agents. It’s all happening at the same time,” Furrier said. “I think you’re seeing new logos pop up, you’re going to start to see these white spaces develop, and this SaaS conversion to agentic is happening. A lot of work to be done, but if you’re an investor and you want to build a venture, if you’re an entrepreneur, the game is on.”

Furrier and Dave Vellante (right), co-founder and co-CEO of SiIiconANGLE, spoke with theCUBE’s Scott Hebner as part of the analyst wrapup segment at the AI Agent Builder Summit, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how agentic AI is driving a major shift in enterprise technology, infrastructure investment and organizational culture, as businesses race to harness its transformative potential. (* Disclosure below.)

Why agentic AI will reshape both startups and enterprises

The acceleration of agentic AI is being fueled by unprecedented infrastructure investments, particularly in AI workloads. With data center spending leaping from $220 billion to $350 billion in just one year, the foundation is being laid for a new digital era. This boom reflects both the rise of intelligent agents and a shift in the enterprise technology stack — from hardware to harmonized middleware and semantic data layers, Vellante explained.

“It’s like a 25%, 10-year CAGR. It’s massive,” he said. “In one year, the growth went from four or five percent in data center to almost 60%. It’s because AI infrastructure, and now the AI piece of that is dominant.”

Beyond infrastructure, the conversation also focused on how agentic AI levels the playing field between startups and large enterprises. Startups, empowered by lower development costs and faster time-to-market, can now do more with fewer resources. At the same time, enterprises with rich datasets and domain knowledge can build, customize and integrate agents to create new revenue models, according to Furrier.

“Whether it’s a go-to-market or managing workflows or whatever it is, both technically and in business, where in the past, you would have to staff that up,” he said. “That now has changed, so that favors the startups. The startups are working at scale, and a lot of the hot startups that are out there, the young guns and the senior folks that know the systems, they’re taking advantage of the infrastructure.”

Still, success will depend not only on speed and data, but also on culture and clarity. The transition to agentic AI requires organizations to empower employees and align their goals around tangible returns on investment. HR now plays a surprising role in this evolution, supporting the integration of agents as digital coworkers — not job replacements, Furrier added.

“If you’re not at the cadence of speed, culture is the game,” he said. “It’s the only game in town because if you don’t have the speed, you don’t win. If you’re not in the game, on the field with AI, you’re going to lose to somebody else who’s going to be faster.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the AI Agent Builder Summit:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the AI Agent Builder Summit. The sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE