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Azul 2025 State of Java Survey & Report: 88% of Enterprises Consider Leaving Oracle Java for Alternatives as Costs and Concerns Continue to Soar

Survey of over 2,000 Java professionals also reveals: 71% struggle with unused cloud compute capacity, 62% report DevOps productivity loss due to dead or unused code, and 50% use Java for AI development

INDIA — Jan. 29, 2025 — Azul, the only company 100% focused on Java, released its second annual Azul State of Java Survey & Report today, offering insights into how organizations leverage Java in an evolving technology landscape. The report includes responses from more than 2,000 Java professionals worldwide, uncovering how enterprises are tackling Oracle Java pricing and licensing challenges, the strategies organizations are adopting to address cloud costs, factors impacting DevOps productivity, and the role Java is playing in AI development.

Of all businesses contacted globally to participate in the Azul 2025 State of Java Survey & Report, only 1% of respondents were disqualified from taking the survey because they did not use Java in their enterprise — highlighting that 99% of organizations surveyed actively use Java. In addition, nearly 70% of respondents indicate that more than half of their applications are built with Java or run on a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), confirming Java’s fundamental role in today’s businesses.

Other key findings from the 2025 State of Java Survey & Report include:

The Shift Away from Oracle Java Gains Momentum

Two years after Oracle introduced its employee-based pricing for Oracle Java SE, concerns remain high. 82% of Oracle Java users expressed unease with its cost model — the same percentage reported in the Azul 2023 State of Java Survey & Report. The percentage of organizations considering alternatives to Oracle Java has also jumped significantly – from 72% in 2023 to 88% today. The top five reasons given for considering a migration away from Oracle Java (where respondents could select all that apply) include: cost (42%), preference for open-source (40%), Oracle sales tactics (37%), uncertainty created by ongoing changes to pricing and licensing (36%), and restrictive Oracle policies (33%). These responses underscore that organizations increasingly seek cost-effective, flexible, and transparent alternatives to Oracle Java to mitigate financial and operational risks.

Organizations Tackle Cloud Cost Challenges, But Overruns Still High

Nearly two-thirds of organizations report that Java workloads account for over 50% of their cloud compute costs. In a clear sign of inefficient resource allocation, 71% of companies have more than 20% unused cloud compute capacity they’re paying for. Organizations are responding by taking steps to better align their cloud investments with actual usage including leveraging newer, more efficient compute instances and processors (35%) and utilizing a high-performance JDK (24%). Of those using a high-performance JDK, the top two reasons cited were to “improve application performance” and “optimize cloud compute costs.”

DevOps Productivity Impacted by Code Management and Security Issues

The survey reveals significant challenges to application development productivity. 62% of respondents report that dead or unused code impacts their DevOps teams’ effectiveness. Security concerns compound these challenges, with 33% reporting that their DevOps teams waste more than half their time addressing false positives from Java-related security vulnerabilities. Additionally, 49% of companies are still experiencing security vulnerabilities from Log4j in production – three years after its initial discovery.

Java Powers Enterprise AI Development

Java’s growing role in artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly evident, with 50% of organizations using Java to build AI functionality, surpassing both Python and JavaScript for AI development among Java-centric enterprises. However, this AI adoption comes with infrastructure implications — 72% of organizations indicate they will need to increase their

compute capacity to support Java applications with AI functionality. While the survey focused on organizations already invested in Java, it does highlight that Java developers continue to innovate with Java, leveraging the programming language’s robust library ecosystem to embrace emerging technologies like Al. This further solidifies Java’s role as a cornerstone for modern, future-ready application development.

“Our report shows organizations are actively seeking ways to optimize their Java deployments to drive operational efficiency and cost predictability,” said Scott Sellers, co-founder and CEO at Azul. “As Java continues to be the backbone for business-critical applications in the enterprise, we’re seeing important trends — from the growing interest in Oracle Java alternatives to cloud optimization strategies, improvements in DevOps productivity, and innovation with AI.”

To access Azul’s full 2025 State of Java Survey & Report, visit www.azul.com/state-of-java-2025/.

About the Report

Dimensional Research, a leading market research firm, administered the electronic survey and Azul authored the report based on the survey results. The report data was compiled from Java professionals and those who use or deploy Java-based applications and infrastructure at all seniority levels. Participants from companies of all sizes were invited to take part in this survey on their company’s adoption and use of Java. A total of 2,039 qualified respondents from six continents completed the survey. All respondents had direct or managerial Java responsibilities and were offered token compensation for their participation.

About Azul Systems Inc.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Azul provides the Java platform for the modern cloud enterprise. Azul is the only company 100% focused on Java. Millions of Java developers, hundreds of millions of devices and the world’s most highly regarded businesses trust Azul to power their applications with exceptional capabilities, performance, security, value, and success. Azul customers include 36% of the Fortune 100, 50% of Forbes top 10 World’s Most Valuable Brands, all 10 of the world’s top 10 financial trading companies and leading brands like Avaya, Bazaarvoice, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, LG, Mastercard, Mizuho, Priceline, Salesforce, Software AG, and Workday. Learn more at azul.com  and follow us @azulsystems.