Here's a look at the 10 hottest big data tools of 2024 including Databricks Apps, EDB Postgres AI, Qlik Talend Cloud and ThoughtSpot Spotter.

Data management, already of significant importance for operational and business intelligence purposes, has taken on a new level of priority for businesses and organizations as the wave of AI technology development and adoption pushes demands for data to new heights.

The global "datasphere" - the total amount of data created, captured, replicated and consumed - is growing at more than 20 percent a year and is forecast to reach approximately 291 zettabytes in 2027, according to market researcher IDC.

But wrangling all that data, including collecting and managing it and preparing it for analytical and AI tasks, is a challenge with so much data to work with. That's driving demand for new big data tools and technologies - from both established IT vendors and startups - to help businesses access, collect, manage, move, transform, analyze, understand, measure, govern, maintain and secure all this data.

What follows is a look at 10 cool big data tools, designed to help customers more effectively carry out all these big data chores, that caught our attention in 2024. They include next-generation databases, data management tools and data analytics software. Some are entirely new products recently introduced by startups or established vendors, while others are products that have undergone significant upgrades or offer new ground-breaking capabilities.