Gartner Data & Analytics Summit 2025 Orlando: Day 3 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit, taking place this week in Orlando, Florida. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. You can read the highlights from Day 1 here and Day 2 here.

On Day 3 from the conference, we are highlighting when to use small language models, why AI projects should leverage graph analytics and how to build data products for data and analytics success. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Identifies Three Areas to Help Data & Analytics Leaders Scale AI
• Gartner Identifies Top Trends in Data and Analytics for 2025

Presented by Sumit Agarwal, VP Analyst, KI Leader, Gartner

Small language models (SLMs) provide a viable alternative to large language models (LLMs) for developing high-performing, cost-effective, and secure generative AI solutions. In this session, Sumit Agarwal, VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed insights into the strengths and weaknesses of SLMs.

• “Scale has been the primary driving trend in the development of large language models. Since the introduction of the transformer architecture in 2017, the most significant advancements in natural language processing have been driven by scaling model sizes and training datasets from millions to trillions, resulting in exponential growth in capability.”
• “Use on-premises or private cloud SLMs for scenarios involving sensitive information.” 
• “Customize SLMs to increase accuracy, robustness and reliability.” 
• “Embed your static organizational knowledge into SLMs for reduced costs and increased efficiency.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Matt LoDolce at matt.lodolce@gartner.com.

Presented by Maryam Hassanlou, Director Analyst, Gartner

Top tech companies have utilized graphs to power everything, from fraud detection systems to recommendation engines, and they are now finding their way into use cases across industries. In this session, Maryam Hassanlou, Director Analyst at Gartner, introduced the concept of graph analytics and the algorithms used to find hidden insights in data that enhance decision making, with context as king.

• “To ensure successful AI initiatives, it's crucial to bridge the gap between data and AI by using knowledge graphs (KGs), which provide high-quality, semantically rich data that enhances model validity, accuracy, and fosters collaboration among stakeholders.”

• “Nearly 55% of organizations need help to have AI-ready data. Many organizations need a foundational data management practice, so many enterprises are not ready for AI.”

• “By 2026, graph technologies will be used in 80% of data and analytics innovations,
  up from 10% in 2021, facilitating rapid decision-making across the enterprise.”

• “Implementing KGs presents a transformative journey in data representation and knowledge management. However, this endeavor is not without its challenges; organizations encounter multifaceted obstacles on the path to successfully deploying KGs.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Matt LoDolce at matt.lodolce@gartner.com.

Presented by Michele Launi, Sr Principal Analyst, Gartner

Data products are all the rage within D&A functions as the next wave of potential solutions to reduce business-IT friction and provide sustained means to data delivery. In this session, Michele Launi, Sr Principal Analyst at Gartner, took a deep dive into data products, and explained how to build,manage and govern them through contracts, and sustain them through marketplaces, governance and ops best practices.

• “Building and maintaining data products will be top of investment priorities in the next 2-3 years.”

• “The value is not always in producing more data, it's in being agile about packing, provisioning, and delivery. The real value to the business comes when D&A teams provision an easy to find and ready to use integrated data set aligned with their use cases.”

• “Gartner predicts that by 2027, 75% of data and analytics products will be made redundant or marketplaces shut down, as ‘too few customers came to use them.’”

• “Focus on stand-alone providers, or leverage what you currently have today — solutions in the more traditional data management markets.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Matt LoDolce at matt.lodolce@gartner.com.