SAP, the German software major, is preparing for the age of artificial intelligence (AI). At its recent TechEd conference in Bengaluru, India, SAP announced several tools and capabilities to enhance developer productivity and enable the creation of custom AI-powered applications. The company unveiled AI-infused pro-code tools that accelerate application development, introduced vector database capabilities in HANA Cloud, and launched an all-encompassing AI foundation hub designed to help teams build applications targeting various business use cases.
JG Chirapurath, chief solutions and marketing officer of SAP, explained that the company aims to provide customers with three different ways to experience AI. The first way is by embedding AI directly into the application experience. The second is through “Joule,” SAP’s assistive copilot that helps users with various tasks. Finally, SAP enables customers to create their own AI use cases to meet specific needs beyond the company’s offerings. SAP plans to launch its own foundation model to meet the growing demand for generative AI-driven apps from enterprises across sectors.
SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) is integral to powering business applications in the cloud. It consolidates application development, data and analytics, integration, automation, and AI capabilities into a unified environment. Last year, SAP introduced Build solutions in the BTP, providing low-code, drag-and-drop features for web and mobile app development. Now, SAP is taking it a step further with Build Code, an application development solution that incorporates AI-based generation to produce code, data models, app logic, and test scripts for Java and JavaScript applications. Build Code streamlines development within the SAP stack, eliminates the need for external software developer toolkits, and facilitates side-by-side development with the ABAP cloud environment.
While Build Code will be generally available in Q1 2024, SAP executives demonstrated that it can boost developer productivity by 40-60%. The use of AI-based generation significantly streamlines the development process and reduces the amount of manual coding and testing required. This tool empowers developers by providing a one-stop solution for Java and JavaScript development within the SAP stack.
SAP also empowers developers to create custom AI-powered applications tailored to their specific business scenarios and use cases. SAP introduced vector database capabilities in HANA Cloud, which stores contextual business data in vector format. This format enables easy search and discovery of relevant data, regardless of its original format, for training AI models. By leveraging vector capabilities, enterprises can eliminate the need for a separate database solely for cleaning and searching relevant data for training purposes. The multimodal HANA Cloud, part of SAP BTP, allows users to tap into its vector database capabilities through the AI Foundation, a comprehensive platform that facilitates the creation of AI and generative AI-powered applications. The AI Foundation provides access to a wide range of open-source LLMs (large language models) and allows fine-tuning, management, and monitoring of these models.
SAP’s AI ecosystem offers multiple general-purpose models through its AI hub, including models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, as well as its own multi LLM-powered solution called Joule. However, SAP plans to launch its own foundation model, specifically tailored to the unique context and data it holds. This custom foundation model aims to better understand processes and contexts, providing enterprises with a head start to creating AI tools that are highly relevant to their business needs. Although an exact timeline for the model’s launch was not provided, SAP aims to make it available as soon as possible. Despite the introduction of its proprietary model, SAP remains committed to its partner-first approach to AI, continuing to collaborate with external solutions and only considering investments or acquisitions when necessary and strategic.
As SAP continues to expand its AI tooling, including the proprietary model, the company emphasizes ethical and responsible use. SAP has an ethics board that evaluates AI developments against ethical and responsible standards. The company’s legal team also ensures compliance with government-prescribed regulations, prioritizing safety and security. By taking this approach, SAP aims to alleviate compliance burdens for its customers operating in regulated industries or regions. The company acknowledges its duty of care and commitment to ensuring high standards of AI safety and security in alignment with the executive order issued by President Biden.
SAP is making significant strides in the field of AI. Through its comprehensive suite of tools, including AI-infused pro-code tools, vector database capabilities, and the AI Foundation hub, SAP aims to empower developers and enable the creation of custom AI-powered applications. By offering various ways to experience AI, SAP addresses the unique needs of its customers and allows them to explore the full potential of AI technology. With its partner-first approach and commitment to ethical use, SAP is poised to drive innovation and transformation in the age of AI.
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