SINGAPORE — Java is no longer just the backbone of enterprise systems. It is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of enterprise AI, cloud cost optimization, and open-source transformation. According to the 2026 State of Java Survey & Report released by Azul, enterprises worldwide are accelerating their reliance on Java to power artificial intelligence workloads while simultaneously moving away from Oracle’s commercial Java model in search of cost control and flexibility.
The global study, which surveyed more than 2,000 Java professionals, highlights two dominant trends shaping enterprise technology strategies this year: the rise of Java as a production-ready AI platform and a decisive migration toward OpenJDK distributions
For decades, Java has anchored mission-critical applications. In 2026, it is playing an increasingly strategic role in artificial intelligence. The survey reveals that 62% of organizations now use Java to develop AI functionality, up from 50% the previous year. This sharp increase reflects a broader shift from AI experimentation to real-world deployment, where scalability, reliability, and security become non-negotiable.
More tellingly, nearly one-third of respondents report that more than half of the Java applications they build now include AI features. Enterprises are integrating machine learning models directly into existing Java systems, reducing friction between legacy infrastructure and next-generation intelligence.
The ecosystem is maturing in parallel. Java-friendly AI libraries such as JavaML and Deep Java Library (DJL) are helping developers embed machine learning capabilities more seamlessly. Survey participants emphasized that for Java to remain competitive in an AI-driven development environment, it must prioritize long-term support for modern versions, strong built-in security, deeper observability, scalable data access, and tighter integration with large language models.
While Java’s role expands, dissatisfaction with Oracle’s licensing model continues to intensify. Since the introduction of Oracle’s employee-based pricing structure in 2023, enterprise sentiment has shifted dramatically.
An overwhelming 92% of survey respondents say they are concerned about Oracle Java pricing. Only 7% report no concern at all — a steep decline from the prior year. For many organizations, escalating licensing costs and audit risks have triggered strategic reassessments of their Java estates.
The result is a migration wave. Eighty-one percent of enterprises have already migrated, are in the process of migrating, or plan to migrate at least part of their Oracle Java deployments to non-Oracle OpenJDK distributions. More than six in ten intend to move their entire Java environment.
Cost is the primary driver, cited by 37% of respondents. However, motivations extend beyond financial pressure. Organizations also point to a preference for open-source technologies, uncertainty around licensing changes, and the risk of Oracle audits. Notably, more than one in five respondents report having already undergone an Oracle Java audit.
As enterprises scale cloud deployments, operational efficiency is under intense scrutiny. Java’s performance characteristics are increasingly central to cloud cost strategies.
Nearly all respondents — 97% — report taking action to reduce public cloud spending. Among the top five cost-control strategies is the adoption of high-performance Java platforms, implemented by 41% of organizations.
High-efficiency Java runtimes enable enterprises to process higher workloads with fewer compute resources. Faster startup times, shorter warm-up cycles, and improved runtime performance reduce overprovisioning and lower overall cloud infrastructure costs.
Despite these optimization efforts, significant inefficiencies persist. Seventy-four percent of enterprises report that more than 20% of their public cloud compute capacity remains unused. This overprovisioning often compensates for inconsistent runtime behavior or performance unpredictability.
Among organizations most deeply invested in Java — where at least 90% of applications run on the platform — adoption of high-performance Java environments climbs sharply. In this cohort, usage increases from 61% to 81%, underscoring the correlation between Java concentration and performance optimization maturity.
Beyond cost and AI, developer productivity remains a pressing concern.
Sixty-three percent of respondents report that dead or unused code significantly affects their teams. This latent technical debt complicates maintenance, slows release cycles, and increases operational risk. Developers frequently hesitate to remove legacy components for fear of destabilizing production systems.
Security tooling adds another layer of friction. Fifty-six percent of enterprises now confront Java-related Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) on a daily or weekly basis, a notable increase from the prior year. Even more concerning, 30% of respondents estimate that more than half of their security response efforts are spent investigating false positives — vulnerabilities flagged in code paths that never execute in production.
This combination of technical debt and alert fatigue continues to erode DevOps efficiency at scale.
The 2026 State of Java Survey & Report illustrates a platform in transition — not in decline, but in reinvention.
Java is expanding its footprint in AI-powered systems, tightening its role in cloud cost management, and experiencing a decisive shift toward open-source distributions. At the same time, enterprises are confronting structural productivity challenges and licensing pressures that are reshaping long-term platform strategies.
As organizations pursue intelligence, efficiency, and operational resilience, Java remains deeply embedded at the core of enterprise computing — evolving alongside the demands of the AI era rather than being displaced by it.