We are now in the final chapter of Apache Kafka’s multi-year journey to remove Apache ZooKeeper and fully transition to self-managed metadata in KRaft. Many Kafka users and customers are beginning to migrate to KRaft and are eager to understand its performance characteristics in production environments.

Throughout my career in enterprise technology, I've witnessed numerous transformations play out across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. But the shift we're seeing now with data streaming is truly unprecedented. What was once a supportive technology is rapidly becoming the very foundation of modern business in our region.

Every device, transaction, and interaction in our digital world generates an endless stream of data. By 2025, the amount of global data is expected to reach a mind-boggling 180 zettabytes. So, how do we extract and make sense of this growing data? That’s exactly where generative AI proves its value. This blog explains generative AI applications for document extraction and how this technology helps cut through the noise and zero in on exactly what you need.

Every business handles numerous document types—contracts, purchase orders, reports, invoices—you name it. And the thing about documents? They never look the same. One day, you’ve got a well-organized PDF with neatly labeled sections, making it easy to find what you need. The next, you’re stuck with a document that’s all over the place—random tables, text scattered everywhere, or even a scanned image that doesn’t fit the mold.

Application programming interfaces (APIs) do a lot of behind-the-scenes work that you might never notice. When you look at the weather forecast on your smartphone, you get updated info because of an API. You rely on APIs when you sign into your email account, get driving directions, and book airplane tickets.