SAP seals key partnerships to embed AI throughout its software platforms

SAP unveiled a slew of generative AI developments and new and expanded partnerships at its annual Sapphire conference in Orlando over night.

Expanded collaborations were announced with with AWS and Microsoft, while new partnerships have been forged with Google Cloud, Meta, Mistral AI and Nvidia.

SAP and Google Cloud are expanding their partnership, using Business AI to help enterprises predict and mitigate supply-chain risks, minimise disruptions and optimise inventory.

The companies will integrate Joule, SAP’s AI copilot, and its integrated business planning for supply chain solution with Google Cloud’s Gemini AI assistant and Google Cloud Cortex Framework’s data foundation.

SAP will also use Meta’s Llama 3 large language model to generate scripts that render highly customised analytics applications in SAP Analytics Cloud.

New large language models from Paris-based generative AI firm Mistral AI will also be added to the AI hub capability in SAP AI Core.

SAP and Nvidea are also teaming up to advance a cross-product partnership to embed cutting-edge technologies into business applications.

“The Business AI innovations we’re announcing at SAP Sapphire in 2024 will redefine the way businesses run,” said Christian Klein, CEO and member of the executive board of SAP.

“Today’s AI announcements and partnerships build on our commitment to deliver revolutionary technology that drives real-world results, helping customers unleash the agility and ingenuity they need to succeed in today’s fast-moving business landscape.”

Announcements included AI-generated reports in SAP SuccessFactors that give people managers insights for compensation-related discussions as well as forecasting capabilities in SAP Sales Cloud solutions that predict combinations of salespeople and products most likely to drive sales.

SAP’s Joule copilot is expanding throughout the company’s solution portfolio. It is already embedded into SAP S/4HANA Cloud solutions and others including SAP Build and SAP Integration Suite.

Further expansion by year-end will include SAP Ariba and SAP Analytics Cloud solutions.

At Sapphire, SAP also announced plans to further broaden Joule’s scope by integrating it with Microsoft Copilot for even richer insights.

Deep, bi-directional integration will give users a unified experience built into the flow of their work, enabling seamless access to information from interactions with business applications in both SAP and Microsoft 365.

SAP also said it was redoubling its commitment to the principles of relevant, reliable, and responsible AI and adopting the 10 guiding UNESCO AI ethics principles.