By Lindsay Clark
Publication Date: 2026-02-02 17:47:00
Last week, Oracle announced the general availability of Oracle AI Database 26ai Enterprise Edition for Linux x86-64, but 13 years of support for 19c and the prospect of an AI lockout may make users think twice about upgrading.
Oracle started out as a database company and, despite the deluge of news surrounding its cloud and AI initiatives, it is still one of them, at least defending its top spot in the DB Engines ranking system. However, according to Stack Overflow, PostgreSQL is the most popular database among developers.
In 2024, Oracle launched its database 23aiwhich eliminated the “c” suffix introduced for the cloud in 2013. However, the release never made it as a general on-premise option beyond the systems developed by Oracle and later the company postponed the Premier Support cutoff for 19c to December 31st2029, with extended support running until December 31, 2032. Premier support was originally scheduled to end in 2024.
