SAP Unveils Business AI Innovations at Sapphire 2025

Revolutionizing Work with Joule and AI Agents

SAP’s generative AI assistant, Joule, now features ubiquitous integration across SAP and third-party applications, powered by WalkMe’s action bar, which proactively anticipates user needs while adhering to SAP’s strict ethical AI guidelines. “SAP combines the world’s most powerful suite of business applications with uniquely rich data and the latest AI innovations to create a flywheel of customer value,” said SAP CEO Christian Klein. “With the expansion of Joule, our partnerships with leading AI pioneers, and advancements in SAP Business Data Cloud, we’re delivering on the promise of Business AI as we drive digital transformations that help customers thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world.”

A collaboration with Perplexity enhances Joule’s ability to process structured and unstructured data, delivering real-time, visual answers like charts and graphs via the SAP Knowledge Graph. For example, a user could ask how external events impact their business and receive a forecast combining current events and internal data. SAP also introduced Joule Agents for customer experience, supply chain, finance, and more, designed to autonomously adapt and act across systems, with integrations planned for SAP Ariba Procurement and SAP Service Cloud.

AI Foundation and Developer Tools

SAP unveiled AI Foundation, described as “the first real operating system for Business AI,” providing developers a unified platform to build and scale custom AI solutions. A new prompt optimizer, developed with Not Diamond, reduces complex prompt engineering from days to minutes, streamlining AI development. “By integrating Perplexity’s ability to answer questions accurately and transparently with business answer capabilities, we are bringing both worlds together: the power of Joule to answer your business questions and the power of Perplexity to understand what’s happening in the world,” said Dr. Philipp Herzig, CTO at SAP SE.

SAP Business Data Cloud and Palantir Partnership

SAP introduced intelligent applications in SAP Business Data Cloud, tailored for specific business lines. The People Intelligence application, for instance, optimizes workforce performance with AI-driven insights. A partnership with Palantir facilitates cloud migration by integrating Palantir’s Foundry and AIP with SAP Business Data Cloud, creating a harmonized data foundation. “The Ontology + Foundry + @SAP = ultimate value creation for our partners,” said Palantir CEO Alex Karp on X, highlighting the partnership’s value for joint customers, including the U.S. government.

Cloud Adoption and Customization

SAP announced SAP Business Suite packages with embedded SAP Build for customizable cloud solutions and a new cloud transition tool leveraging Joule, SAP Signavio, and SAP LeanIX, promising up to 35% faster time-to-value. These tools enable organizations to tailor solutions to specific challenges, enhancing agility in dynamic markets, as noted by users on X praising SAP’s cloud-focused innovations.

SAP’s Sapphire 2025 announcements position it as a leader in enterprise AI, with Joule, strategic partnerships, and cloud solutions driving significant productivity gains. By fostering interoperability and data-driven decision-making, SAP empowers enterprises to navigate complex global landscapes with confidence. Learn more at sap.com.