Secure the AI agent data layer...Tension rises among leading players

Microsoft, Databricks, Snowflake, Salesforce, and SAP are competing to control the data and semantic layers that will power AI agents.

Microsoft has tightened access for external tools such as Databricks’ Power BI integration, signaling a broader push to own the platform interface.

Industry watchers see this as a fight over who controls semantic context, governance, and the key touchpoints for enterprise AI automation.

Snowflake and Salesforce are pushing standardization through Open Semantic Interchange, while SAP is limiting direct API access for outside agents.