Denodo AI Data Layer Study: Enterprise Agentic AI Achieves 290% Three-Year ROI, 3x Faster Deployment
Denodo has released an independent study conducted by Veqtor8, showing that after deploying a governed AI data layer, enterprises achieved a 290% three-year ROI, 3x faster agent deployment, and a 68% reduction in AI operating costs. The model covers 100 distributed data sources, with the number of agents growing from 100 in Year 1 to 900 in Year 3, and per-task context payload dropping from approximately 18,000 tokens to approximately 5,760 tokens. The study states that this data layer can solve the problem of MCP server sprawl, saving over 75% on integration and governance costs.
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PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denodo, the AI data layer company, has released the findings of a comprehensive independent study conducted by research firm Veqtor8. The report, titled "The ROI of an AI Data Layer for Agentic AI," found that enterprises deploying a governed AI data layer achieved a three-year return on investment (ROI) of up to 290%, deployed agents 3x faster, and reduced AI operating costs by 68%.
As enterprises move from generative AI pilots to running autonomous and semi-autonomous agents at scale in production, reliable access to real-time, governed, and semantically consistent enterprise data has become the primary bottleneck. Veqtor8's research, based on in-depth interviews with frontline practitioners from global banks, telecommunications groups, chemical manufacturers, and leading logistics companies, as well as hyperscalers and technology partners, quantified the economic and operational advantages of deploying the Denodo AI data layer compared with fragmented, self-built architectures.
Key Findings and Economic Benefits
The study built a comprehensive enterprise financial model reflecting the average size of all surveyed enterprises. The model covers 100 distributed enterprise data sources, with the number of agents growing from 100 in Year 1 to 900 in Year 3. The main quantified results over the three-year period are as follows:
Business value generated by AI initiatives increased 2.9x: comprising both net cost savings and new total business value.
Agent deployment 3x faster: leveraging prebuilt, reusable data products eliminates the need to develop custom integration pipelines for each deployment, cutting time-to-production for agents to one-third of the original.
AI operating costs down 68%: queries are handled directly by the AI data layer, and data is filtered before being sent to the model, reducing per-task context payload from approximately 18,000 tokens to approximately 5,760 tokens, with compute costs falling sharply in tandem.
Integration and governance costs reduced by more than 75%: eliminating connector sprawl and uncontrolled MCP service proliferation, maintenance costs fell 79% and policy management workload decreased 76%.
Solving the "MCP Server Sprawl" Problem
Without a unified logical data layer, enterprise agents require a separate Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, RAG pipeline, and independent security controls for each underlying data source. In heavily regulated industries, a single production agent may need to connect to 30 to 50 separate cloud platforms, SaaS applications, legacy systems, and business operations systems—an approach that creates enormous integration friction while planting governance risks.
Andrew Milroy, Chief Analyst at Veqtor8 and author of the report, said: "An agent is only as effective as the data it can access. Connecting to a single system is straightforward, but orchestrating dozens of systems into coherent, reliable workflows under a unified security policy is extremely difficult. The Denodo AI data layer simplifies this complexity: enterprises profile data once, and governed data products can then be reused by every agent with access rights."
Alberto Pan, Chief Technology Officer at Denodo, noted: "When scaling AI, enterprises cannot choose between deployment speed, governance compliance, and cost efficiency. The Denodo platform unifies access to distributed data assets, ensures semantic consistency, and centralizes policy enforcement without large-scale data migration, providing the core foundation for trusted enterprise-grade AI agents."
How to Obtain the Research Report
To download the full Veqtor8 research report "The ROI of an AI Data Layer for Agentic AI" free of charge, please visit denodo.com.
About Denodo
Denodo is an AI data layer vendor. The award-winning Denodo platform supports trusted agents and applications, transforming enterprise data into reliable insights that power data analytics and self-service. For more information, please visit denodo.com.
About Veqtor8
Veqtor8 is an independent advisory and insights platform focused on artificial intelligence, data management, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure. Through pragmatic independent research, executive workshops, shared presentations, and published research reports, Veqtor8 helps enterprises prepare for AI adoption, optimize data strategies, and strengthen digital resilience.
Media Contact
pr@denodo.com