diff --git a/.github/workflows/connectors_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/connectors_test.yaml
index 6594b30fb12..2c75c50701d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/connectors_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/connectors_test.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v2
         with:
           distribution: 'zulu'
-          java-version: '8'
+          java-version: '11'
       - name: Cache Scala, SBT
         uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/iceberg_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/iceberg_test.yaml
index aecc6e3241b..cd91814efdc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/iceberg_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/iceberg_test.yaml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
       - name: Cache Scala, SBT
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/kernel_docs.yaml b/.github/workflows/kernel_docs.yaml
index 27e397df56f..885c2c3047c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/kernel_docs.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/kernel_docs.yaml
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
       - name: Generate docs
         run: |
           build/sbt kernelGroup/unidoc
diff --git a/.github/workflows/kernel_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/kernel_test.yaml
index f48a2af68f4..2b8c040a0bf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/kernel_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/kernel_test.yaml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v4
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
       - name: Cache SBT and dependencies
         id: cache-sbt
         uses: actions/cache@v4
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spark_examples_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/spark_examples_test.yaml
index 6337e3e36ef..f4cc29117bd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spark_examples_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spark_examples_test.yaml
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
       - name: Cache Scala, SBT
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spark_python_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/spark_python_test.yaml
index 55c54741175..a9fc9f2acf8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spark_python_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spark_python_test.yaml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
       - name: Cache Scala, SBT
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spark_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/spark_test.yaml
index c82a8be5a4f..d8faa5c8b88 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spark_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spark_test.yaml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
       - name: Cache Scala, SBT
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unidoc.yaml b/.github/workflows/unidoc.yaml
index f7a04572d67..3854684017f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unidoc.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unidoc.yaml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
           uses: actions/setup-java@v3
           with:
             distribution: "zulu"
-            java-version: "8"
+            java-version: "11"
         - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         - name: generate unidoc
           run: build/sbt "++ ${{ matrix.scala }}" unidoc
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unity_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/unity_test.yaml
index a03cf75ef46..65eb22890ab 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unity_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unity_test.yaml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
           distribution: "zulu"
-          java-version: "8"
+          java-version: "11"
         if: steps.git-diff.outputs.diff
       - name: Run Unity tests with coverage
         run: |
diff --git a/build.sbt b/build.sbt
index 685204f3b4e..70a340799e0 100644
--- a/build.sbt
+++ b/build.sbt
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ crossScalaVersions := Nil
 // For Java 11 use the following on command line
 // sbt 'set targetJvm := "11"' [commands]
 val targetJvm = settingKey[String]("Target JVM version")
-Global / targetJvm := "8"
+Global / targetJvm := "11"
 
 lazy val javaVersion = sys.props.getOrElse("java.version", "Unknown")
 lazy val javaVersionInt = javaVersion.split("\\.")(0).toInt