Despite years of technological investments, companies continue to struggle to get the most from their data. In a global survey of 1,200 business and technology leaders, 55 percent cited poor data quality as their biggest challenge. Nearly half struggle to harmonize data across multiple ecosystems.

With even more investments being made in AI, it’s more important than ever for customers to have a solid data foundation.

That’s why in February of this year, SAP introduced SAP Business Data Cloud. This fully managed SaaS solution unifies and governs SAP and third-party data, enhancing decision-making and AI value. Databricks is natively available in SAP Business Data Cloud, which provides data and AI professionals access to industry-leading data engineering, AI, and machine learning capabilities within a single solution.

SAP Business Data Cloud momentum

Since the initial launch, we’ve made progress to support customers and advance their business data fabric journey.

Several have already adopted SAP Business Data Cloud and expect significant benefits. For example, Swedish steel distributor Tibnor is the first live SAP Business Data Cloud customer and plans to integrate SAP data with non-SAP sources so it can respond more quickly to changing market conditions.

Dag Åselius, senior IT advisor and longtime former CIO at Tibnor, said: “We’ve always tried to stay ahead of the curve in our industry. SAP Business Data Cloud opens new opportunities for integrating external data quickly — something we couldn’t even imagine just a few years ago.”

This customer momentum builds on a successful pre-launch beta program. SAP received positive feedback from those customers that saw benefits across the board, including a 20 to 50 percent improvement in data models. Moreover, the beta community agreed that SAP Business Data Cloud will allow them to get greater value out of existing investments in SAP Datasphere and Databricks.

SAP Business Data Cloud and Databricks momentum

SAP is bringing the power of Databricks into SAP Business Data Cloud with SAP Databricks, now generally available on Amazon Web Services. The allows us to serve the needs of a broader community of data and AI professionals and provides customers benefits:

• Simpler access to all data: Easily connect to contextual SAP data using zero-copy Delta Sharing and blend with third-party data
• End-to-end AI and machine learning: Develop AI and machine learning models with end-to-end lifecycle management from data prep and experimentation to deployment
• Pro-code environment: Write Spark scripts, run SQL analysis, or create machine learning models in any notebook
• Trusted data foundation: Build intelligent insights on a unified and trusted data foundation that governs and protects data and AI assets

Together, SAP Business AI and SAP Databricks offer powerful, complementary AI and machine learning capabilities.

For example, SAP Business AI allows customers to embed AI directly within their business processes. It also helps customers develop and expand AI models trained on their SAP data and deploy them directly into business processes for closed-loop decision-making.

Additionally, SAP Databricks provides a comprehensive workbench for data preparation and machine learning experimentation, as well as predictive, AI, and machine learning modeling. Customers can use SAP Databricks to develop customized AI and machine learning models on harmonized SAP and non-SAP data, tailored to their unique requirements.

Get started with SAP Business Data Cloud

Today, SAP is introducing a promotional offer to help customers get started. We will offer SAP Databricks services at a discounted consumption rate for a limited time through April 30, 2026. This will accelerate SAP Databricks workloads by allowing customers to consume more capacity at no additional cost.

Don’t miss SAP Sapphire, to be held May 19-21, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. Register for SAP Business Data Cloud sessions here.

For more about the latest SAP Databricks news, read more from Databricks here.

Irfan Khan is president and chief product officer of Data and Analytics at SAP.

The recent EU Omnibus package may propose to ease the reporting burden for companies in the EU, but many headlines have in fact triggered uncertainty and alarm.

If we can cut through the noise, proactive business leaders can not only prepare for these changes but seize the opportunity to drive strategic business value and even transformation.

My key takeaways for business:

• Large companies still have to report, while SMEs can gain an advantage through voluntary reporting
• Streamlined and integrated data management remains key for compliance and business value creation
• Get ahead by starting today

Sustainability regulations have been on a rollercoaster ride lately. To address concerns about the administrative burden, harmonization, and competitiveness, EU lawmakers have undertaken critical reviews of key policies, most notably the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Initial reactions to the Omnibus package ranged from celebratory to cautionary, with some media outlets pointing out “costly confusion” and even “catastrophic changes.” The slightest changes to any regulatory framework can spark confusion, but there is no need to panic. While still subject to final approval, the Omnibus package should provide companies extra time to prepare and reduced metrics to track.

Despite these proposed changes, business leaders should ensure their data management systems are equipped to handle the required sustainability metrics. Systems and processes for data management need to be instituted, KPIs identified, stakeholders managed — all of which takes time. As a rule of thumb, auditors recommend two years of preparation time before a reporting deadline hits. From automated collection and reporting to insights that drive measurable business value, an integrated data system has the potential to make sustainability data so much more than a mere component of compliance.

What are the changes in the Omnibus?

The Omnibus adjusts compliance thresholds, shifts reporting timelines, and removes the burden of CSRD reporting for small and midsize enterprises. Proposed changes include:

• Companies not yet required to report on FY 2024 will have a two-year delay (until 2028) before they must report with the CSRD
• Companies must have 1,000 employees and €50 million net turnover, or €25 million balance sheet to meet CSRD reporting threshold
• Limited assurance requirements are implemented in place of reasonable assurance
• Sector-specific reporting mandates have been eliminated
• Value chain data is only required from suppliers that also meet the reporting threshold
• Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) due diligence intervals increased from each year to every five years

All proposed changes are still subject to final approval.

What remains untouched in the Omnibus proposals?

Large European companies — those that were required to report with the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) — are still required to report with the CSRD this year for FY 2024, and are required to continue reporting despite the proposal. The pool of companies required to report will still expand, but now with a two-year delay and the timeline for non-EU parent companies has not changed. Companies with a two-year delay will still need to start preparing at least 12 months ahead of their new reporting deadlines.

Supply chain emissions, double materiality assessments, KPI identifying and tracking, and transition planning are all still fundamental to the CSRD. Supply chain data insights are still requirements of the CSDDD and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

The metrics on which companies are required to report are likely to be reduced and simplified, but regulatory compliance still remains a data challenge that requires integrated solutions. For companies that are no longer required to report, voluntary reporting can prove beneficial if data insights are deployed strategically. With the right solutions, sustainability data can unlock valuable insights to improve business performance.

How can sustainability data improve business performance?

With all the new compliance measures businesses have to navigate, it can be easy to get reporting tunnel vision and lose sight of the wider goal: sustainable business outcomes and value creation for the business.

Rigorous sustainability reporting should drive operational efficiency. Combined with a wealth of sustainability data, supply chain scrutiny and systems analysis lay the groundwork for deriving strategic business value. For example, sustainability data supports effective risk management through visibility into risks and their strategic and financial impacts, lowers costs by creating efficiency gains, and provides the insights needed to take action.

Collecting and managing data to comply with sustainability regulations requires data management software. The bare bones solution is the helpful, yet error-prone, Excel spreadsheet, while at the opposite end of the data management spectrum is the ERP-centric system.

The spreadsheet might manage to painstakingly serve the compliance function, but it lacks the ability to provide real-time insights that align sustainability goals with financial goals. What’s worse is that after data is collected and reported, it lives — and dies — on the spreadsheet, offering no added value, and certainly driving no business transformation.

In contrast, by using an ERP-centric system, data needed to comply with sustainability regulations can be pulled, aggregated, and integrated into business systems like finance, procurement, and HR. In fact, an ERP-centric system can provide access to as much as 85 percent of the quantitative data required for CSRD compliance.

ERP systems are the catalyst for strategic business transformation and streamlined regulatory compliance. ERP combined with SAP Sustainability solutions can provide access to sustainability data that permeates all business functions. Business leaders obtain the necessary insights to reduce carbon and material usage, accelerate CSRD compliance, and accurately measure the financial and sustainability impact of their decisions.

Get ahead by starting today

To stay ahead of current and upcoming regulations, streamlined and integrated management of data from operations and supply chain is essential. An ERP-centric approach can drive both sustainability and financial performance, with compliance being just the tip of the iceberg for ERP-centric sustainability data benefits.

Even with CSRD timelines extended for some companies, forward-thinking businesses have much to gain by continuing CSRD-aligned sustainability reporting now. This delay offers an opportunity to develop a strategic, technology-enabled approach to sustainability reporting that drives long-term business value.

Take action now and leverage SAP Sustainability solutions to transform your data management and sustainability reporting, ensuring your business not only complies but thrives in the evolving regulatory landscape. To learn even more about the Omnibus changes and how an ERP-centric system can benefit your business, read SAP’s latest white paper on mastering CSRD.

Sophia Mendelsohn is chief sustainability and commercial officer at SAP.

The global supply chain landscape remains under pressure, facing unprecedented challenges and poised to undergo seismic shifts based on geopolitical conflicts, climate events, and workforce shortages. Persistent disruptions are sending shockwaves through the global economy, forcing companies to reimagine their operations and seek innovative technologies to build resilience against an increasingly unpredictable future.

In this era of constant disruption, SAP stands at the forefront of supply chain transformation. Our vision is clear: to empower our customers with transparent, resilient, and sustainable supply chains. We’re committed to delivering innovative cloud solutions and collaborative business networks that enable autonomous supply chains seamlessly integrated with SAP Business Suite.

To spearhead this critical business, SAP recently appointed Dominik Metzger as the new president and chief product officer of Supply Chain Management at SAP. Metzger brings a wealth of experience and deep-rooted passion for tackling supply chain complexities. His years of hands-on work with customers navigating disruptions and driving transformation make him uniquely qualified to lead SAP’s new unit. This team combines SAP’s digital supply chain, business network, and field service management solutions, positioning the company to address the multifaceted challenges of modern supply chain management.

Nearly three months into this role, I caught up with Metzger to hear about how he’s adapting and his vision for the future of supply chain management at SAP.

Q: Having spent the last five years working in a variety of roles at SAP, what are your priorities for the new role?

A: During my time at SAP, I’ve seen how supply chain management has transitioned into a dynamic and connected ecosystem that demands constant collaboration, end-to-end data integration, and agile processes to keep pace with constant disruptions. My chief priority is to ensure that we help customers not only respond to disruptions but also proactively prepare and act. We can do so by leveraging AI, generative AI, real-time data, and predictive analytics with the power of SAP’s technology. Our vision is to build an autonomous supply chain, enabling customers to have highly efficient processes and personalized, context-rich insights that incorporate data from across the enterprise. This approach allows their teams to focus on truly complex decisions.

With SAP Business Suite, we offer our customers deeply connected, end-to-end supply chain processes—from product data management for discrete and formulated products to planning the demand, supply, production, and inventory levels to purchasing parts and materials to manufacturing execution, logistics, and finally asset and service operations. These processes are turbocharged with a wealth of AI capabilities to help truly bring the experience to a business user.

Yet, AI is only as good as the data it runs on, so we are committed to ensuring all processes are relevant and responsible. Our recent launch of SAP Business Data Cloud (SAP BDC) is a cornerstone of helping our customers fix their data at its very core, within the context of their business process. This makes any ontology or data semantic discussion obsolete: SAP can provide out-of-the-box, semantically aligned data products, spanning end-to-end supply chain functions, enriched with unstructured data through our partnership with Databricks.

Our AI-first strategy will help enable companies to leverage the wealth of structured and unstructured data to become highly adaptive and, ultimately, autonomously act on even the most complex disruptions. This holistic approach helps guarantee that customers will shape their supply chain strategies with real-time intelligence. By embedding this technology deep into SAP’s supply chain management applications, we can drive greater productivity, improve operational efficiency, and create more resilient, agile networks that can adapt to shifting market conditions. We are now conquering the next frontier of truly autonomous supply chain agents, contextually rich and deeply anchored in customers’ business processes.

Now, one of the most valuable sources of data we have not yet discussed: data out of your n-tier supply chain. In the highly interconnected environments companies are operating in, the supply chain business is a network business. My top priority is to enable our customers to benefit from the immense value of SAP Business Network. Our emphasis lies on increasing operational visibility and efficiency. Deep collaboration can enable buyers to identify new sources of supply, even during times of disruption. With market conditions constantly shifting, we are helping businesses to identify risks in the depth of their upstream supply chains to keep operations running and significantly reduce time to recovery.

How has your previous experience helped shape you for this position?

My career has taken me around the world—from Southeast Asia to Europe to the Northeast United States—and through various roles. In my early days, I served as a supply chain application consultant, learning the nuances of SAP technology, the intricacies of industry processes, and the challenges that go along with technology transformations for SAP customers. This helped shape my approach, as I aim to deliver real value by ensuring our solutions are adaptable and capable of driving meaningful business outcomes.

Additionally, while I’m now based in Munich, Germany, I spent years of my adult life in Singapore and New York City. I was exposed to different business cultures, market dynamics, regulatory environments, and languages. This reinforced the importance of flexibility, creativity, and inclusivity, as SAP supply chain management strives to build globally scalable solutions. In this new role, I’m combining those insights and experiences to guide supply chain management at SAP. I want our offerings to align with the real-world challenges our customers face daily, regardless of whether they’re a retailer in Asia or a manufacturer in North America. Ultimately, my experience has driven my commitment to ensuring our solutions are relevant, adaptable, and impactful.

Can you share some insight into what we can expect from SAP’s supply chain management team over the coming months?

We will focus on integrating SAP’s broader AI-first, suite-first strategy that enables customers to seamlessly implement advanced technologies into their daily operations. Our focus will be on expanding automation, improving supply chain orchestration, and bolstering business network collaboration—all critical steps to maintaining resilience in an ever-evolving market.

Another priority is reducing emissions and helping customers meet sustainability goals. Through SAP Green Ledger, customers can integrate carbon emissions data into existing digital supply chain technology, aligning sustainability with sourcing and supply chain management strategies.

My team is also working on several exciting product launches, including announcements at SAP Sapphire in May and SAP Connect in October. Be sure to tune into both events for more information.

A strong, diverse, and collaborative team is essential in addressing any client challenge. By uniting diverse perspectives and expertise under one vision, we can develop platforms that deliver meaningful, long-term business outcomes for SAP customers around the world.

Cindy McKendry is director of Corporate Communications for Intelligent Spend and Supply Chain at SAP.

In today’s business landscape, enterprises need AI that reasons through challenges, anticipates outcomes, and takes action. That’s why SAP and NVIDIA are deepening our work together to deliver more advanced AI capabilities into the hands of businesses worldwide.

With NVIDIA’s latest announcement of Llama Nemotron reasoning models, SAP is strengthening its agentic AI strategy to help drive even greater business impact. These models allocate more compute time before responding to improve accuracy and enhance AI agents with advanced  decision-making and execution capabilities. By integrating them, Joule agents will become more adept at tackling complex business challenges—leveraging deeper contextual reasoning, making more precise decisions, and seamlessly interacting with enterprise data and systems to deliver more intelligent and autonomous operations.

Transforming business today: What SAP and NVIDIA have already achieved

The long-standing partnership between SAP and NVIDIA has already delivered AI innovations that are transforming business operations. Across industries, these AI innovations are revolutionizing how enterprises implement SAP solutions and develop applications on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP).

For example, consultants working on digital transformation projects, such as those driven through RISE with SAP, are now leveraging SAP Joule for Consultants, enhanced with NVIDIA NeMo™ Retriever microservices, to quickly surface relevant insights from SAP-exclusive content. Consultants can ask questions in natural language to instantly retrieve precise guidance from past implementations and get assistance in interpreting ABAP code. This helps reduce the time spent navigating documentation and troubleshooting complex application logic, accelerating solution design, minimizing delays, and improving overall project efficiency.

For developers, AI-driven code generation has become a catalyst for innovation. Joule for developers, powered by NVIDIA NIM™ microservices, part of NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform, helps generate ABAP code faster and more efficiently by enabling faster AI inferences for code generation tasks. SAP and NVIDIA collaborated on end-to-end model development for Joule for developers, including data processing and training the models. LLMs trained on ABAP and SAP’s enterprise logic enable developers to write, explain, and optimize SAP-specific code efficiently. As a result, enterprises can reduce development time, improve code quality, and accelerate innovation, modernizing their SAP environments more effectively.

Beyond implementation and development, AI is reshaping how businesses visualize and interact with their products. Leveraging NVIDIA Omniverse technologies, SAP Intelligent Product Recommendation can bring real-time 3D visualizations to complex products, transforming how companies design, manufacture, and market their offerings. Businesses can now simulate entire supply chains before making capital investments, optimize factory layouts with physics-based modeling, and enhance customer engagement through realistic, interactive product experiences that improve decision-making.

These AI-driven advancements are already reshaping operations in manufacturing, retail, and asset-intensive industries, enabling users to make more informed decisions, unlocking greater efficiency, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

What’s new: Advancing AI reasoning agents to transform work

“SAP’s AI agents, orchestrated by Joule, reason through challenges, solve complex problems, and drive efficiency,” said Kari Briski, VP, Generative AI Software for Enterprise, NVIDIA. “SAP plans to integrate NVIDIA Llama Nemotron reasoning models to enhance AI-driven automation and enable businesses to optimize operations.”

With the integration of NVIDIA Llama Nemotron reasoning models, SAP will continue to advance the reasoning of Joule agents, redefining enterprise automation and allowing enterprises to scale automation with confidence and drive efficiency across end-to-end business processes.

The future of business AI

Together, SAP and NVIDIA are redefining how enterprises use and benefit from AI—bringing automation, intelligence, and efficiency to every facet of business operations. From advanced AI agents that execute complex cross-functional workflows to AI-driven development and immersive digital experiences, the possibilities are expanding rapidly.

Learn more about the SAP and NVIDIA collaboration today. Explore what AI can do for your business.

Walter Sun is SVP and global head of AI at SAP.