Why Companies Are Ditching Warehouses for Lakehouses
- By CDOTrends editors
- January 14, 2025

A quiet revolution is brewing in the enterprise data world. Companies are breaking up with their traditional cloud data warehouses, and they're not being subtle about it. A whopping 41% have already jumped ship, seeking refuge in the arms of a newer, sexier architecture: the data lakehouse.
According to a fresh report from Dremio that surveyed 563 IT decision-makers, this isn't just a casual fling — it's a full-blown paradigm shift. By 2028, more than three-fifths of organizations (67%) plan to run most of their analytics on lakehouses, up from 55% today. But why the mass exodus?
"Follow the money," says William McKnight, president of McKnight Consulting Group. The report reveals that 19% of companies cite cost efficiency as their primary motivation for the switch. In an era where CFOs scrutinize every dollar spent on tech infrastructure, the lakehouse's promise of unified data access (17%) and ease of use (17%) makes it an irresistible proposition.
But there's a bigger story here: AI anxiety.
One anonymous IT leader confessed in the report that the “rapid integration of generative AI and large language models” has sent shockwaves through the company. “This shift has created anxiety among employees about job security,” they admitted, painting a picture of a workforce grappling with technological whiplash.
They're not alone. The study found that 85% of organizations are already using data lakehouses to develop AI models. It's a stark reminder that in 2025, being "AI-ready" isn't just corporate jargon — it's a survival imperative.
Yet this gold rush toward AI-ready architecture isn't without its thorns. The report exposes a dark underbelly of challenges: 36% of organizations are wrestling with governance and security nightmares, while 33% are bleeding money on data preparation costs. It's like trying to build a Formula 1 car while the race is already underway.
"The data architecture landscape is at a pivotal point," says Read Maloney, Dremio's chief marketing officer, in what might be the understatement of the year. What he really means is the old ways are dying, and companies need to adapt or perish.
The most telling statistic? A staggering 90% of IT leaders are desperately trying to consolidate their analytics into a single location. It's a clear sign that the days of fragmented data strategies are numbered. The future belongs to those who can unify, simplify, and AI-ify their data operations.
Bottom line
The data lakehouse isn't just another IT trend. While the report comes from a data lakehouse proponent, it’s also becoming that architecture is the new normal for enterprises serious about AI adoption. But for data leaders, this means making tough decisions about legacy systems, addressing skills gaps in their teams, and preparing for a future where AI isn't just a nice-to-have but a core business driver. The time for fence-sitting is over.
Image credit: iStockphoto/JohnrAdams