Oracle AI Database 26ai is now available, replacing 23ai, and as per the release notice, ‘consolidates and elevates it into a cohesive, AI-native platform for production workloads at scale’. Importantly, 26ai will also be downloadable for on-premise customers from January 2026 – a big shift in Oracle’s approach to cloud and database, and particularly important for customers who want AI capabilities, but aren't on the cloud.
In this blog, we examine the changes 26ai brings, what it represents for all users, and, in particular, what it means for 19c customers.
What is Oracle AI Database 26ai?
Oracle AI Database 26ai is the next generation of Oracle’s flagship database, reimagined as deeply AI-native. It replaces the previous “23ai” release, building upon and expanding its foundational AI features.
With 26ai, AI is not just an add-on; it’s part of the database’s core architecture. That means operational databases, data lakes, analytics workloads, and application databases can all benefit.
Some of the standout capabilities:
- Hybrid Vector, Relational, Document, Graph, Spatial support: 26ai supports AI vector search, but seamlessly integrates it with relational data, JSON, spatial, graph, and other data types. This will enable complex, multimodal search and retrieval.
- Agent-style AI workflows: Through support for open standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP), 26ai lets you define, run, and govern AI agents directly inside the database, keeping data secure while unlocking advanced AI capabilities.
- AI-powered analytics, data lakes, and app development: Whether you’re building new AI-enabled applications, running analytics on mixed data, or using a modern Lakehouse approach, 26ai supports it, including features like a unified data model, AI-powered SQL, and enterprise-grade scalability.
- No extra cost for many AI features: Vector search and other advanced AI capabilities come included.
- Hybrid / multi-deployment flexibility: With 26ai available on-prem, in private cloud appliances, and in cloud services, enterprises can choose the deployment model that best fits different workloads, balancing control, compliance, performance, and cost.
Why is this particularly significant for 19c Customers
For organisations still running Oracle Database 19c on-premises, i.e., customers who didn’t want to migrate to the cloud, the announcement that Oracle AI Database 26ai will be downloadable for on-premise Linux platforms in January 2026 is huge.
Until now, if you were running 19c on-premises and wanted AI features, your only real option was migrating to cloud-managed Oracle AI Database or related cloud services. That barrier excluded organisations with strict data-sovereignty requirements, legacy infrastructure, or internal policy against cloud migration.
Now, with 26ai downloadable for on-premises Linux x86-64 in January 2026 (via the quarterly Release Update 23.26.1), those constraints are gone.
In other words, if you’ve been waiting for a way to move forward from 19c and gain AI-powered capabilities, without being forced into a cloud transition, your time has come.
More specifically, it means:
- A straightforward upgrade path from 19c.
- Immediate access to modern, AI-enabled features in your existing data stack.
- Opportunity to modernise applications, analytics, search, and AI workflows without disruptive wholesale changes. This is because 26ai preserves much of the existing database architecture and APIs.
- Organisations with large investments in on-prem Oracle infrastructure can continue to leverage that, while still unlocking modern AI database capabilities.
- The risk of cloud migration (data governance, compliance, latency, internal politics) has delayed AI adoption. 26ai reduces that barrier.
- Because 26ai is a long-term support release, with support policies inherited from 23ai, organisations get a stable foundation for the next several years while still enjoying cutting-edge AI capabilities.
What to do now to prepare for 26ai
If you’re managing or advising customers on Oracle deployments, this is a good moment to:
- Audit current installations, especially those running 19c or 21c, to identify candidates for direct upgrade to 26ai once available.
- Become familiar with Oracle’s upgrade tooling and test the process in staging environments ahead of the formal on-prem release.
- Assess workloads that could benefit from AI features, such as advanced search (vector search), analytics over mixed data, AI-powered applications, or data-driven automation.
- Revisit compliance/security/risk posture as 26ai brings built-in security, governance, and mitigation features (data privacy protection, SQL firewall, enterprise controls).
- Engage stakeholders early, including application owners, compliance teams, and infrastructure/ops, so they understand that the move to an AI-native database no longer forces cloud migration.
Conclusion
Whatever your current set-up, be that on-premise or in the Cloud, Oracle Database 26ai represents a significant and long-term shift in the AI capabilities now available to Oracle customers.
If you would like to talk to one of our experts about the best way to deploy 26ai in your organisation, please get in touch. In the meantime, you can discover more about our Oracle upgrade services here.