SAP has rapidly evolved from implementing point machine learning capabilities to positioning artificial intelligence, especially generative AI, at the core of its vision for an "intelligent enterprise." This transformation goes far beyond adding AI to applications; it involves redesigning processes, experiences, and business decisions around artificial intelligence. This strategic shift, led by Christian Klein since his appointment as CEO in 2020, has turned SAP into a benchmark not only in enterprise software but also as a comprehensive AI platform, fully integrated into processes, data, and applications. The challenge has been significant, given SAP's tradition of customization and adaptation to each client's specific processes, but the company is successfully adapting its legacy to this new era. In February 2026, Klein presented an update to SAP's roadmap, firmly betting on AI. His strategy, called SAP Flywheel, is based on five pillars with AI as the central axis: Joule as the new user experience, AI assistants integrated into every process, high-value industry applications, Business Data Cloud as the database for AI, and the adoption of the suite through RISE, GROW, and modernized services. Klein emphasizes that SAP is building "an intelligent and proactive business system where AI is the co-pilot in every function." Joule, SAP's AI assistant, will evolve this year to become a "universal co-pilot," replacing traditional interfaces and acting as a bridge between users and business applications. Already present in solutions like S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, Ariba, CX, Concur, and Fieldglass, Joule will expand its capabilities to orchestrate work and connect with other AI agents. Joule relies on SAP Knowledge Graph to provide business context and integrates with Microsoft 365 Copilot, offering a multicloud experience. According to Klein, "Joule is a motor of intelligent agents capable of executing tasks, automating workflows, and generating actionable insights." SAP AI Foundation: the new operating system for AI SAP has launched SAP AI Foundation (AI OS), which functions as an operating system on SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) to build, deploy, and govern AI across the organization. It includes tools such as: - Joule Studio: allows companies to create their own AI in the SAP ecosystem, combining low-code, intelligent agents, preconfigured skills, access to generative models, and centralized governance. It democratizes enterprise AI development and facilitates the creation of co-pilots and custom agents. - Generative AI Hub: centralizes access and orchestration of generative AI models, both third-party (OpenAI, Mistral, Anthropic, Vertex AI) and proprietary (SAP-RPT-1), allowing for secure and scalable integration into business processes. - SAP Knowledge Graph: connects and enriches business data with semantics and context, improving the accuracy and relevance of AI model responses. - SAP Document AI: automates document processing such as invoices and orders, freeing up to 70% of users' time and reducing errors. These components enable the scaling of AI in business environments, orchestrating generative, predictive, and agent-based AI across all SAP applications. SAP Business AI: AI integrated into business processes SAP is incorporating artificial intelligence into all its modules through SAP Business AI, a native ecosystem that automates tasks, improves decisions, and optimizes workflows in applications like S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, Ariba, and Sales Cloud. Joule acts as a co-pilot, understanding processes and adding value in areas such as: - Finance: cash flow prediction, automated deviation analysis, accounts receivable agents. - Supply Chain: predictive inventory optimization, dynamic flows based on risks. - Procurement: intelligent suggestions in Ariba, automated reading of orders and invoices. - Human Resources: talent recommendations, organizational climate analysis, interactions assisted by Joule. - Customer Experience: intelligent ticket classification, content recommendations. While SAP AI Foundation is the foundation for creating AI, SAP Business AI is the intelligence already integrated and ready to add value. SAP Business Data Cloud: AI applied to data SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) unifies SAP and non-SAP data with business semantics, eliminating silos and enabling advanced analytics, planning, and artificial intelligence. BDC arises from the consolidation of technologies like SAP Datasphere, BW, and Analytics Cloud into a single intelligent cloud platform. The integration of AI in BDC, under Joule's supervision, allows for real-time information extraction, ensuring security and privacy. The Insight Apps, intelligent applications built on BDC, execute specific tasks using unified and governed data, allowing AI to act directly on business flows. Ethical, secure, and regulated AI SAP is committed to ethical, secure AI aligned with international regulations, especially European ones. Its approach is based on ethics, security, and regulatory compliance, following the Global AI Ethics Policy inspired by UNESCO, and applying advanced security measures and "red teaming" tests. The company incorporates regulatory compliance, including the EU AI Act, into the development cycle and holds ISO 42001 certification for its AI governance model. Additionally, it promotes sovereign AI in Europe with SAP Sovereign Cloud, ensuring that data is stored and processed entirely within the EU. In summary, SAP is redefining the future of the intelligent enterprise with a structural commitment to artificial intelligence, transforming processes, experiences, and business decisions. According to the vision of its CEO, this is just the beginning. (Source: silicon.es)