SAP, a prominent enterprise application software maker, is taking its relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to a new level by introducing AI-centric integrations. One of the significant updates includes the integration of the Amazon Bedrock AI development service into SAP’s AI Core platform. This collaboration opens up opportunities for companies, particularly those operating in regulated industries, to explore generative AI technology. Furthermore, SAP has announced its decision to enhance its infrastructure by doubling down on AWS chips. The company plans to upgrade its existing Graviton chips and employ AWS Trainium and Inferentia to power its Business AI offerings. According to Matt Garman, the incoming CEO of AWS, the partnership with SAP aims to facilitate the application of generative AI to core business data, thereby enhancing efficiency, responsiveness, and sustainability.
Part of SAP’s Business Technology Platform, the AI Core allows customers to manage their AI assets in a standardized, scalable, and hyperscaler-agnostic manner. By incorporating Amazon Bedrock into its AI Core platform, SAP enables organizations to access a wide range of supported large language models (LLMs). These models include Amazon Titan, Anthropic’s Claude 3 Opus, Cohere’s Command R models, Mistral 7B, Mixtral 8x7B, Meta’s Llama, Stable Diffusion, and AI21 Labs. Dr. Philipp Herzig, SAP’s chief AI officer, emphasizes the flexibility and openness of their architecture, highlighting the importance of selecting the best technology for specific purposes. The collaboration with Amazon Bedrock provides access to high-quality models that can enhance SAP’s offerings and cater to the diverse needs of customers.
By leveraging Amazon Bedrock and top-performing LLMs, enterprise developers can optimize key business processes within SAP applications. For instance, the integration of Amazon Bedrock could streamline the auditing process in SAP’s S/4HANA Central Finance by automating tasks such as matching bank statements to accounts. Matt Wood, AWS’s vice president of AI products, notes the significant interest and investment from enterprise customers in generative AI. He observes a growing trend where companies are transitioning generative AI from advanced prototypes to production use cases. This shift underscores the importance of incorporating cutting-edge technologies to drive innovation and efficiency in business operations.
The collaboration between SAP and AWS holds particular significance for companies operating in regulated sectors that utilize SAP’s enterprise resource planning applications. Despite initial perceptions, regulated firms, such as those in finance, healthcare, and public services, are embracing generative AI at a rapid pace. Wood acknowledges the proactive approach taken by compliance organizations like the New York Stock Exchange, Pfizer, and Merck in adopting generative AI. These firms possess robust data quality, security measures, and strategic data frameworks that facilitate the successful implementation of AI technologies. Gen AI serves as a catalyst for digital transformation within regulated industries, enabling them to innovate and compete with other sectors in the market.
SAP customers can leverage Amazon Bedrock within the Business Technology Platform (BTP) or the managed cloud offering RISE with SAP. In tandem with the Amazon Bedrock integration, SAP is expanding its utilization of Amazon chips to enhance its AI infrastructure. The transition involves upgrading HANA Cloud from Graviton3 to Graviton4 chips, as well as leveraging AWS Trainium and Inferentia chips for training and deploying AI products. The collaboration with AWS aims to accelerate the development process while ensuring high levels of accuracy and reliability. By incorporating dedicatedly designed chips, SAP seeks to optimize energy consumption, reduce costs, and improve performance across its product suite.
The deepening relationship between SAP and Amazon Web Services signifies a strategic alignment between two industry leaders to drive innovation in the realm of AI integration. The synergies between SAP’s AI Core platform and Amazon Bedrock, coupled with the enhanced utilization of AWS chips, underscore the commitment of both companies to empower enterprise customers with cutting-edge technologies. As the landscape of AI continues to evolve, collaborative partnerships between industry giants will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of intelligent enterprise solutions.
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