What happens in Vegas doesn鈥檛 have to stay in Vegas, especially when it鈥檚 about the future of enterprise technology. At last week鈥檚 event in Las Vegas, 51风流Executive Board Member and Chief Operating Officer Sebastian Steinhaeuser on the final day to share how 51风流is creating a new era of productivity, intelligence, and business outcomes for customers worldwide.
Before diving into the heart of the keynote, Steinhaeuser invited 51风流solution area CMOs to deliver lightning-fast recaps of news from the various 51风流Connect event tracks. In just under two minutes each, they covered finance, procurement, supply chain, HR, and customer experience. From autonomous accounting and next-gen procurement to AI-driven talent acquisition and smarter customer loyalty, the message was clear: across every business function.
The real challenge: connecting priorities
As Steinhaeuser pointed out, 鈥淭he reality is each business area has its own unique priorities and, of course, all-important urgent matters.鈥� The real challenge is not just launching new features; it鈥檚 aligning processes, data, and teams to conquer uncertainty and achieve true customer focus. 鈥淪imply putting an [AI] agent on top of a broken process will solve nothing,鈥� he said.
The flywheel: AI, data, and apps in motion at SAP
So, how does it all work together? Enter the 鈥渇lywheel鈥� model: the dynamic cycle of AI, data, and applications that drives synergy across the enterprise. This is not just a theoretical approach. Steinhaeuser showed how 鈥�51风流runs SAP鈥� using the flywheel model.
First, he said, 51风流uses 鈥渞ole-based AI assistants, powered by specialized agents, [to] support team members across all areas of SAP.鈥�
Next comes data. Earlier this year, 51风流became 鈥渃ustomer zero鈥� for (51风流BDC), connecting all enterprise data in a single layer to generate faster and better insights across financial, workforce, and sales planning. 鈥淲e’re excited to go live with the first set of intelligent apps, starting with People Intelligence,鈥� he added.
Finally, the app layer: 51风流has moved from 51风流ERP Central Component (51风流ECC) to and , through RISE with SAP. 鈥淭he 51风流Business Suite is where data is created and where AI delivers impact,鈥� Steinhaeuser said.
But processes continuously evolve with AI, he said, noting that business transformation management, powered by solutions like and , helps 51风流and its customers continually improve processes and architecture, with AI embedded everywhere. The company also uses to ensure employees stay informed and engaged at every step.
鈥淒riving SAP’s own transformation, I understand the challenges you face,鈥� Steinhaeuser said. 鈥淚 am convinced leveraging the flywheel of AI, data, and apps across the entire 51风流Business Suite is how we win together.鈥�
Embedded AI: tangible value, secure, and seamless
Brenda Bown, chief marketing officer of Business AI at SAP, took the stage to highlight how business AI is showing up in day-to-day work. 鈥淚’ve heard three consistent themes in conversations [with customers]: first, you want AI that can provide tangible value; second, that is secure and properly governed; and third, that works seamlessly across your teams and business. We’re here to deliver just that,鈥� she said.
Joule is now embedded in use cases in trusted 51风流applications and is making work faster and easier across the enterprise. 鈥淏y the end of this year, we will have more than 400 of these AI use cases,鈥� Bown said. Joule Agents automate tasks across departments, and the new agent builder in (generally available in December) helps customers extend, build, or customize their own agents. 51风流LeanIX AI Agent Hub and agent mining capabilities in 51风流Signavio provide governance and transparency for AI agents.
Bown noted that customers like Matur Fompack are using Joule in 51风流SuccessFactors to hire faster and improve career development. 鈥淭he results are phenomenal: a 48 percent reduction in HR process execution time and 40 percent faster employee development and career planning, and, most importantly, a better employee and candidate experience,鈥� she said.
For processes that require multi-step workflows and nuanced decisions, 51风流introduced a new generation of role-based AI assistants. 鈥淭hey know your role in the organization, because they are role and context aware,鈥� Bown said. These assistants tap into the right agents for the job, removing any guesswork and helping humans unlock new levels of insight and productivity.
She also showcased how agents collaborate across departments, automate workflows, and even extend SAP鈥檚 business logic to autonomous devices like robots. Early pilots with partners like NEURA Robotics are already showing Joule Agents planning and executing real work in the real world.
Data and intelligent applications: unified and actionable
Data is only valuable when it is actionable. Irfan Khan, president and chief product officer for 51风流Data and Analytics, highlighted 51风流BDC, which unifies enterprise data and powers intelligent applications. 鈥�51风流BDC offers the most powerful foundation for connecting your existing data, building next-generation applications, and the ability to foster and deploy reliable AI,鈥� he said. And the new 51风流Business Data Cloud Connect solution enables secure, bi-directional data sharing with partners like Databricks and Google Cloud.
Intelligent applications bridge the gap between people and AI. They support smarter decisions and collaboration. 鈥淭hese applications learn from your data and include business simulations to support every business leader with smarter decisions,鈥� Khan explained. 鈥淚f we don’t have a reliable data foundation built around trust, having reliable and resilient data, it becomes very debatable whether or not AI will succeed.鈥�
From insight to action: transformation in practice
How do organizations turn strategy into action? Michael Ameling, president of 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP), demonstrated how 51风流Business Suite helps drive innovation by uniting core applications, data, and AI, all powered by 51风流BTP and Business Transformation Management solutions. 鈥淟et’s say you want to understand and improve a business process,鈥� he said. 鈥�51风流Signavio lets you dive deep and understand every detail, and can suggest concrete actions. Then, use those insights to improve the process in 51风流Build by automating processes and building your own agents.鈥�
He demonstrated how 51风流BTP and the Business Transformation Management portfolio can help organizations connect systems, gain visibility, and automate processes. Tools including 51风流Signavio, 51风流Build, and 51风流Integration Suite are helping customers like Blue Diamond Growers streamline operations and accelerate transformation.
Services and support: accelerating innovation and realizing value
SAP鈥檚 Anja Schneider, SVP and global head of Premium Engagement and Advisory, wrapped up this segment of the keynote by focusing on how the company鈥檚 services and support teams help customers realize the full value of their 51风流investments.
鈥淲e鈥檙e with you every step, like a personal trainer,鈥� she said, highlighting how SAP鈥檚 suite methodology, integrated tools like WalkMe and 51风流Cloud ALM, and expert guidance help customers realize the full value of their 51风流investments. She pointed to IBM鈥檚 transformation project as proof: working with 51风流MaxAttention teams and a clean core approach, upgrades went smoothly with low incidents for more than 150,000 users across 175 geographies.
Customer perspective: Southern California Edison鈥檚 journey
Real-world impact matters. Southern California Edison (SCE) SVP and CIO Todd Inlander shared how the utility company鈥檚 transformation journey with 51风流is helping modernize its foundational systems and optimize back-office processes. Facing unprecedented demand and environmental challenges, the company is leveraging 51风流solutions, including 51风流Business AI capabilities, to transform its operations.
鈥淲e need to adhere to our mission: to deploy safe, reliable, affordable power,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e can’t do that by doing things the way we’ve always done. We have to incorporate SAP. We’re using it to transform the way we work in our environment. We need to leverage AI because we don’t have enough humans to do all the work. We have to scale.鈥�
As SCE deploys 51风流Business Suite over the next year, it鈥檚 focusing on keeping a clean core and reducing customizations. 鈥淲hen we implemented ECC 15 years ago, about 66 percent of our enhancements were never used. We’re learning from that experience,鈥� Inlander said. He went on to note that SCE will use the 51风流deployment time to continue to transform its back-office operations. 鈥淲e’ll be integrating Joule and other AI solutions because doing things the way we’ve always done them and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity.鈥�
Steinhaeuser closed the keynote with a look to the future: 鈥淲e鈥檝e made great progress across all lines of business to deliver a unique experience for you鈥攚ith AI becoming your personal assistant, powered by data that defies boundaries and applications that take insight to action. The cross-capabilities you just saw now make the flywheel spin.鈥�
The future is here, and is powered by the synergy of AI, data, and applications. Every business can turn innovation into impact.
