SAP Sapphire in Orlando: SAP embeds AI in applications and promises high efficiency gains

At this year’s SAP Sapphire conference in Orlando, CEO Christian Klein outlined SAP’s plans to further increase productivity in business processes. The company aims to achieve this by more closely integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its business applications, building on the success of previous ERP systems.

The next generation of SAP applications

In the past, companies using SAP achieved significant efficiency gains through hierarchical ERP implementations such as R3 and ECC. However, improvements have slowed in recent years due to fragmented application landscapes and isolated processes.

This situation is expected to improve with the new generation of SAP applications. SAP is providing additional incentives for customers to migrate to S/4HANA. According to Christian Klein, the new platform could enable up to 30% greater efficiency. The main driver is the integration of advanced AI features, which will allow companies to automate end-to-end (E2E) processes more comprehensively and reduce manual tasks or human intervention.

AI integration with SAP Joule

A key announcement at the event was the new role of SAP’s GenAI assistant, Joule. Joule is designed to work across SAP and non-SAP systems, helping organizations make their E2E processes more intelligent and autonomous. The aim is to support companies in further optimizing their business processes.

SAP’s platform strategy now focuses on the new Business Suite, which comprises the entire SAP portfolio (e.g., Cloud ERP or S/4HANA, horizontal and vertical business applications, BTP (Business Technology Platform), and Business Data Cloud). The company focuses on two main deployment models: RISE for existing customers and GROW for new customers.

Customer adoption and migration

According to SAP, the response to RISE has been positive. Thomas Saueressig, Head of Customer Services and Delivery, reported that SAP now has over 8,500 RISE customers. More than 25,000 customers have already migrated to S/4HANA, while over 30,000 still use older systems, such as ECC.

SAP acknowledges that migration remains a challenge for many organizations, with projects often taking around three years. To help customers transition more efficiently, SAP is expanding its network of migration partners, including companies like LeanIX and WalkMe.

Summary

With its increased focus on AI and the new RISE/GROW strategy, SAP aims to offer customers improved efficiency and more automated business processes. The company supports these goals with new technologies and an expanded partner ecosystem to facilitate migration and the adoption of the latest SAP solutions.