SAP - Experts & Thought Leaders

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, announced a suite of enhanced AI solutions at its European Summit in Paris, reinforcing its dedication to supporting the region’s businesses growth by capturing the emerging AI opportunities.  The expanded offerings, from AI-optimised tools to intelligent industrial solutions, demonstrate Alibaba Cloud’s long-term commitment to delivering cutting-edge cloud technologies that help European customers across diverse industries—including luxury fashion, automotive, and healthcare—to innovate and scale globally.  AI-powered tools and solutions “For years, Alibaba Cloud has been a trusted partner to pioneering European enterprises across industries, including automotive, luxury fashion, retail, and healthcare,” said Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.  “Today’s service enhancements reflect our continued commitment to the European market, facilitating businesses in the region with AI-powered tools and solutions to stay competitive in the evolving AI era.” Enhanced AI platform and security key for high-version Alibaba Cloud’s large-scale deep learning and intelligent computing capabilities with enhanced efficiency Alibaba Cloud has announced the upgrade of PAI (Platform for AI), its advanced AI computing and development platform in the Frankfurt Region.  This upgrade enables customers in Europe to harness Alibaba Cloud’s large-scale deep learning and intelligent computing capabilities with enhanced efficiency and scalability that can cater to customers' increasing computing demand for critical AI workloads.  Powered by PAI AI Scheduler, Alibaba Cloud’s proprietary cloud-native scheduling engine, the upgraded platform optimises the intelligent integration of diverse computing resources. It offers flexible resource scheduling, real-time task adjustments, and automatic fault recovery, achieving an impressive effective compute utilisation rate exceeding 96%. Safety, reliability, and security for AI tasks Threat defence is also executed via real-time prevention of outer attacks, including malicious prompts To meet growing demand on safety, reliability, and security for AI tasks, Alibaba Cloud launched AI Guardrails, a comprehensive solution designed to ensure compliance and security across diverse AI deployments—from pre-trained models to AI agents—delivering essential end-to-end protection for any AI workflow. Alibaba Cloud's AI Guardrails, available through its Singapore region, provides robust, multi-layered security for AI systems for global customers, allowing users to effortlessly verify text, images, files, audio, and video content with a single request. Threat defence is also implemented through real-time prevention of external attacks, including malicious prompts, harmful file uploads, and suspicious URLs.  Luxury industry and logistics keys tailored for European clients Harnessing key trends in the luxury industry surrounding consumer mindset, channel evolvement and curation: Alibaba Cloud and Accenture have jointly launched an AI-powered industry solution to help luxury fashion brands deliver seamless omnichannel and hyper-personalised experiences. Through combining the power of Alibaba Cloud’s cutting-edge AI technology and infrastructure with Accenture’s global strategy, consulting, technology and deep industry capabilities - the solution enables luxury brands to transform in five core areas: customer engagement, channel experience, operational excellence, sustainability, and data analytics. The full-stack “technology + service” solution, leverages best-of-breed innovation in Cloud and AI to accelerate new pathways to profitable growth. Alibaba Cloud’s scalable infrastructure and models Alibaba Cloud has partnered with Cainiao, Alibaba Group’s logistics arm, to introduce a supply chain solution Alibaba Cloud has partnered with Cainiao, Alibaba Group’s logistics arm, to introduce an intelligent supply chain solution designed for European businesses, with a focus on the sports and industrial manufacturing sectors. This collaboration leverages Alibaba Cloud’s scalable infrastructure and Qwen foundation models alongside Cainiao’s smart logistics capabilities to deliver comprehensive supply chain optimisation. The solution encompasses warehouse automation, AI-enhanced inventory management, and intelligent scheduling across logistics robotics systems. For instance, one European logistics company implemented this solution to streamline its operations, achieving a 25% improvement in operational efficiency and a 22% reduction in operating costs—demonstrating the tangible benefits of this innovation. Supporting European firms in global and digital talent growth Both parties will co-develop academic programs and training in AI, cloud computing, and digital innovation Alibaba Cloud continues to serve as a strategic partner for European companies looking to grow internationally, including in Asia. Swedish video commerce pioneer Bambuser is leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s ApsaraVideo Live to bring its interactive shopping solutions to the Chinese market, enabling brands to adopt live commerce, digital clienteling, and shoppable videos and chats to meet the unique demands of the Chinese e-commerce market. Alibaba Cloud has also partnered with Brest Business School (BBS), a pioneering French institution in business education, to drive AI talent development, with a focus on advancing AI innovation, digital transformation, and cross-border collaboration. Together, both parties will co-develop academic programs and training in AI, cloud computing, and digital innovation, while also collaborating on digital transformation projects—including consulting, planning, and implementation services for enterprises. SAP’s enterprise resource planning solutions The partnership will organise study tours to promote details exchange and foster innovation Additionally, the partnership will organise study tours to promote knowledge exchange and foster innovation. This collaboration reflects a shared vision to equip students, professionals, and organisations with future-ready digital skills, while strengthening academic-industry ties between Europe and Asia. Alibaba Cloud has been a trusted cloud service provider for European businesses for years. In June, Alibaba Cloud announced a collaboration with SAP to offer SAP’s enterprise resource planning solutions to customers in China and then gradually to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. BMW’s next-generation intelligent vehicles In March, BMW and Alibaba announced an expanded strategic partnership in China, accelerating the integration of Alibaba’s Qwen models into BMW’s next-generation intelligent vehicles, marking a significant step forward in AI-driven mobility.  In May last year, LVMH expanded its global partnership with Alibaba to drive luxury experience for another five years, leveraging Alibaba’s cloud technologies, through AI-powered innovations in retail and on-line with Tmall.

Alibaba Group and SAP SE announced a strategic partnership to jointly accelerate enterprise innovation and digital transformation through advanced cloud and AI technologies. The partnership combines SAP’s industry-pioneering enterprise software with Alibaba Cloud’s secure, scalable cloud infrastructure and cutting-edge AI capabilities. SAP’s enterprise cloud solutions Alibaba Cloud will be part of the latest SAP Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Certification Program, to fully support customers running SAP’s enterprise cloud solutions. Alibaba Group will also leverage SAP Cloud ERP Private for its enterprise infrastructure as part of the collaboration. The collaboration will initially focus on the China market and rollout is planned for Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa to enable enterprises to implement SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and embark on their RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP journeys. Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure Companies also plan to establish a joint go-to-market path to serve global businesses across industries With Alibaba Cloud as a certified hyperscaler for SAP workloads, enterprises will also be able to deploy SAP Cloud ERP and SAP Cloud ERP Private solutions on Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure.  The two companies also plan to establish a joint go-to-market approach to serve global businesses across industries with scalable and intelligent solutions tailored to local needs. Integration of Alibaba’s large language model Alibaba Group also plans to deploy SAP Business AI, SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP Ariba, SAP Integrated Business Planning, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Concur, and SAP Emarsys solutions to further optimise its technological backbone, ensuring greater agility and resilience in serving its vast ecosystem of businesses and consumers. The partnership also marks a significant step forward in enterprise AI integration. SAP is exploring the integration of Alibaba’s large language model, Qwen, to the SAP generative AI hub in SAP AI Core in China, to enable enterprise users to access localised generative AI capabilities within SAP’s applications and Custom AI applications. Alibaba Cloud’s robust infrastructure and AI capabilities SAP is also exploring the deployment of its SAP AI Foundation on Alibaba Cloud to bring powerful SAP is also exploring the deployment of its SAP AI Foundation on Alibaba Cloud to bring powerful, scalable AI tools to customers operating in China.  “Our collaboration with SAP reinforces our commitment to empowering global businesses with world-class technologies,” said Joe Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group, adding “By combining SAP’s enterprise software with Alibaba Cloud’s robust infrastructure and AI capabilities, we are enabling customers to build smarter, more agile operations.” SAP’s cloud solutions “Our collaboration with Alibaba Group is a testament to the power and flexibility of SAP’s cloud solutions,” said Christian Klein, CEO of SAP SE. Christian Klein adds, “Our joint go-to-market strategy can unlock new opportunities for enterprises by providing them with access to a comprehensive suite of tools and services. Together, we can help our joint customers drive innovation, improve operational performance, and create new competitive advantages, and we look forward to working with Alibaba to shape the future of cloud-powered digital transformation."

Immersive, the pioneer in people-centric cybersecurity, announced the appointment of Mark Schmitz as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Following the momentum of Immersive’s recent brand launch, this strategic appointment marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth trajectory aimed at further solidifying its leadership in the cyber resilience and readiness space.  Founder James Hadley will remain on the company’s board and transition to the role of Chief Innovation Officer, focusing on driving strategic vision and innovation in partnership with Schmitz.  Prior roles of Schmitz  Schmitz brings over 25 years of experience in the enterprise software market, with a proven track record of scaling companies and driving growth. He most recently served as President at Collibra and Interim CEO at Citrix Systems, and has held senior leadership roles at SAP, Ariba, and Accenture. His expertise spans business operations, sales, customer success, digital transformation, and marketing.  Mark’s experience and leadership Schmitz brings over 25 years of experience in the enterprise software market, with a proven track record "We’ve achieved incredible milestones at Immersive and I am thrilled to bring Mark onboard and partner with him to usher in our next phase of growth, helping our customers prove and improve cyber readiness," said Hadley. "As we look to the future, Mark’s experience and leadership will be an invaluable complement to mine as we expand our market reach, as well as our leadership position, in the industry. This transition allows me to focus on my passion: driving our strategic vision, fostering innovation, and engaging with our customers and the broader market."  Immersive’s innovative approach “I am excited to join Immersive and team up with James to realise the future of cyber drilling and exercising,” said Schmitz. “Immersive’s innovative approach to people-centric cybersecurity is critical for confronting today’s and tomorrow’s threats, and it’s a key aspect of my decision to join the company. I look forward to working with this amazingly talented team to accelerate growth and deliver exceptional value to our customers.”  Immersive’s position at the market Immersive’s solutions enable organisations to prove and improve their cyber resilience through realistic cyber drills and exercises. The company’s brand launch in 2025 has positioned it for significant growth.  Schmitz will officially join Immersive on March 17, 2025. His leadership, along with the recent appointment of former Barclays CISO, Oliver Newbury, to the company’s board, will strengthen Immersive’s position at the forefront of the market.