---
name: watsonxdata-intro_nativespark
title: watsonx.data Spark engine
description: Native Spark engine is a compute engine in IBM® watsonx.data. You can use Native Spark engine to submit applications that involve complex analytical operations.
last-updated: 2026-02-11
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/watsonxdata?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# watsonx.data Spark engine
{: #intro_nativespark}

Native Spark engine is a compute engine in IBM® watsonx.data. You can use Native Spark engine to submit applications that involve complex analytical operations.

In watsonx.data, native Spark engine is used to achieve the following use cases:

- Ingest large volumes of data into watsonx.data tables.
- Handle complex analytical workload.
- Table maintenance operation to enhance watsonx.data performance of the table
- Develop, run, and debug applications written in Python, R, and Scala.

For more information about using Spark engine, see [Working with watsonx.data Spark](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/watsonxdata?group=working-with-watsonxdata-spark&format=markdown).

## Supported Spark version for watsonx.data Spark engine
{: #cpu-mem-spk_versn}


IBM® watsonx.data supports the following Spark runtime versions to run Spark workloads by using watsonx.data.

| Name | Status | Release date | End-of-support date |
| ------------ | ------------- | ------- | ---- |
| Apache Spark 3.4.4 | Deprecated | JUNE 2023 | JUNE 2026 |
| Apache Spark 3.5.4 | Supported | FEB 2025 | FEB 2028 |
| Apache Spark 4.0 | Supported | AUG 2025 | AUG 2028 |
{: caption="Supported Spark versions" caption-side="top"}