SUMMARY:
Oracle has officially released Oracle AI Database 26ai for Linux x86-64, enabling enterprise organizations to deploy advanced AI capabilities and vector search directly within their secure on-premises data centers.
- Oracle consolidated the previous 23ai family into the new 26ai moniker to signify a mature, AI-native platform that includes two years of cloud-based refinements and security patches.
- Administrators can perform a direct upgrade from Oracle 19c or apply a simple patch to existing 23ai cloud instances using the January 2026 Release Update.
- The release introduces critical enterprise features to local environments, including native AI Vector Search for querying unstructured data and True Cache for optimizing application performance.
- New security protocols utilize NIST-approved, quantum-resistant encryption (ML-KEM) to protect data in flight against future computational threats.
DBAs managing Linux-based environments should view this release as the definitive signal to begin modernizing their infrastructure from the legacy 19c standard.
Table of contents
Introduction
For those of us in the trenches of database administration, “23ai” has been the talk of the town for nearly two years. We’ve watched the cloud-first rollouts and experimented with the Free Edition. Still, for many of our enterprise clients—those with strict data residency requirements or massive on-premises footprints—the question has always been: “When can I actually download the installer?”
As of January 27, 2026, we finally have our answer. Oracle has officially announced the General Availability (GA) of Oracle AI Database 26ai for Linux x86-64 on-premises platforms. For the other OS platforms (Windows, AIX, etc.), releases are scheduled for the remainder of 2026.
From 23ai to 26ai: What’s in a Name?
You might be wondering what happened to the “23ai” version you were expecting. In a strategic branding shift, Oracle has consolidated the 23ai family into the new 26ai moniker.
Think of it this way: 23ai was the foundation, but the version now in our data centers is far more mature. By jumping to the 26ai label for this on-premises GA release, Oracle is signaling that this isn’t just a “point-one” update—it’s a fully baked, AI-native platform that includes two years of refinements, security patches, and “Select AI” enhancements that were previously only available in OCI.
Technical Breakdown: The Details
As DBAs, we care about the “how.” Here is the technical lowdown on this release:
- Release Version: On-premises 26ai is delivered as part of the January 2026 quarterly Release Update (version 23.26.1). If you are already on 23ai in the cloud or on an Oracle Engineered System, the upgrade to 26ai is simply a patch release.
- The Upgrade Path: *From 19c: This remains a direct upgrade path. 19c is still the long-term support workhorse, but 26ai is now the clear successor for your next lifecycle project.
- From 23ai (Cloud/Beta): If you’ve been running 23ai in a lab or on OCI, moving to 26ai is as simple as applying the latest Release Update (RU). No data migration or massive re-certification is required.
- For 19c (On-premises/Cloud/Engineered system), Oracle AI Database 26ai is now the official direct upgrade target.
- Availability: You can grab the binaries right now on the typical Oracle websites
- Oracle Software Delivery Cloud (eDelivery). Search for “Oracle AI Database 26ai.” NOTE: You will download Oracle AI Database 23.26.1.0.0.
- Oracle Download Page: Oracle AI Database 26ai for Linux x86-64 and the Oracle AI Database Client 23.26.1.0.0 for Linux x86-64.
- My Oracle Support (MOS): for the Release update patch, as long as you have an active support license.
Why This Matters for the On-Premises Enterprise
This release isn’t just about “AI” as a buzzword; it’s about bringing heavy-duty engineering features back to the local data center.
| Feature Category | What it Means for You |
| AI Vector Search | You can now store and query high-dimensional vectors (from PDFs, images, or audio) natively alongside your standard relational data. No more syncing to external vector stores. |
| Agentic AI | Using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), you can build AI agents that “reason” using your private data without that data ever leaving your firewall. |
| True Cache | This is a game-changer for performance. It’s an application-transparent, mid-tier cache that maintains transactional consistency and significantly offloads your primary database. |
| Quantum-Resistant Security | Oracle has implemented NIST-approved encryption (ML-KEM), ensuring your data in flight is protected against future quantum computing threats. |
The Virtual-DBA Take
At XTIVIA Virtual-DBA, we see this as the “green light” for our Linux-based on-premises customers to begin their modernization journey. For years, 19c was the “safe” harbor, but with the launch of 26ai, the feature gap has become too large to ignore. Whether it’s the SQL Firewall for hardened security or JSON Relational Duality for your developers, the ROI for an upgrade is now tangible.
Ready to start your 26ai pilot? Chat with us now!