SAP unveils AI strategy for Korean market with data integration focus

SAP‘s CEO Christian Klein has unveiled the company’s AI strategy for the Korean market, highlighting its Business Data Cloud platform and Joule AI assistant as cornerstones of the company’s vision. The announcement targets a market where SAP already serves major conglomerates like Samsung and LG, positioning its AI solutions as critical infrastructure for companies seeking to transform their operations while maintaining data integrity and driving productivity.

The big picture: SAP is aggressively expanding its AI offerings in Korea with a focus on data integration capabilities that the company argues are essential for successful enterprise AI implementation.

• Klein emphasized that “LLM alone does not create enough value” and that a robust data foundation is necessary to maximize AI benefits.
• The company has already deployed over 130 AI use cases across its portfolio, including HR, finance, and supply chain applications.

Key products: SAP’s Business Data Cloud platform is generating unprecedented customer interest with a $650 million pipeline formed just two weeks after its February launch.

• The platform is designed to integrate both SAP data and external data sources to enhance AI and analytics capabilities.
• SAP has established a strategic partnership with Databricks for third-party data integration, creating what Klein described as “perfect synergy” between the companies’ technologies.

What they’re saying: Klein made bold predictions about productivity gains and the transformation of user experiences for companies adopting SAP’s AI tools.

• “Within the next two years, SAP software users will no longer be manually entering data, and all tasks will be processed with natural language commands,” Klein stated.
• He claimed that “companies that have adopted Joule will see a minimum 30% to 40% increase in productivity.”

Localization timeline: SAP is moving quickly to make its AI offerings available to Korean customers in their native language.

• The Business Data Cloud will be available in Korean data centers within four months.
• A Korean version of the Joule AI assistant is scheduled for development in March with official release planned for the second quarter of 2025.