SAP CEO Urges AI Speed Amid Fierce US, China Competition

SAP CEO Christian Klein is calling for increased speed and focus in the company's development of artificial intelligence (AI) products, emphasizing the intense global competition. Klein stated in an interview with "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that he "feels the pressure" from rivals, particularly from the United States and China.

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I feel the pressure.

Klein highlighted the critical need for SAP's AI tools to understand business processes better than AI agents developed by competitors like Anthropic, a US-based AI firm. "We have to act quickly, nobody in the US or China is waiting for us. They all want to beat us," Klein asserted, underscoring the urgency of the situation for the German software giant.

The SAP CEO acknowledged that the company's stock has declined over the past year and a half, but he urged a broader perspective, noting that the entire software industry is undergoing a fundamental reevaluation. The core question, he explained, is whether the established software sector can adapt or if new AI-driven providers will replace existing software solutions.

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We have to act quickly, nobody in the US or China is waiting for us. They all want to beat us.

Klein described the current AI transformation as "a very, very big transformation," even surpassing the scale of SAP's earlier cloud transition. This previous shift aimed to move software from local customer servers to a subscription-based cloud model, facilitating easier updates, including for new AI applications. SAP, known for its enterprise resource planning software, must now prove its capability in delivering AI solutions that can effectively comprehend and manage complex business processes.

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A very, very big transformation.