India An Innovation Powerhouse; Can Showcase AI-Led Autonomous Enterprise Vision: SAP APAC Prez

SAP is betting on India's hunger for innovation and deep technology ecosystem to drive its next phase of AI-led growth, as Europe's largest software maker sees scope for the country becoming a showcase for its vision of an ‘autonomous enterprise economy', APAC President Verena Siow said on Wednesday.

Siow - who was named President for SAP Asia Pacific region last month - told PTI in an interview that the company views India through a broader lens that goes beyond its customer base and revenue growth, given the country's large partner ecosystem, technology talent and role as an innovation hub.

SAP's largest labs operation outside Germany is India, with significant work around AI and data being driven from Bengaluru.

India is also among SAP's fastest-growing markets globally and has the potential to emerge as a "first mover" in the AI race, she said.

Siow believes that artificial intelligence will be the next major growth lever for the company's business in the country.

"So there's huge potential here, and we look at India holistically. India, besides we having a huge customer base here, (it) being our fastest growing market in terms of revenue, is also one of our largest ecosystems...many partners here that we're working with are leveraging our AI," she said.

India is a huge talent powerhouse and an innovation hub for SAP.

"As you may know, our largest lab outside of Germany is India. So a lot of innovation around AI, and data is out of the labs here in Bengaluru, and we also see tremendous potential and talent pool here in India. So it's really amazing, not just from a market perspective, but really a 360-view of India as a talent and innovation hub for SAP, not just in APAC but also globally," Siow said.

She said Indian customers' appetite for innovation and their willingness to leapfrog other markets make AI a significant opportunity for SAP.

Customers in India and globally are increasingly looking to move AI initiatives from pilots and experimentation to production and execution, with a sharper focus on measurable business outcomes and returns on investment, she said.

"A lot of Indian customers and also customers globally and in APAC are looking to move from pilot to production for AI, moving beyond just experimenting to execution. So we see that as the next growth lever for India with the hunger of the customers, their interest and motivation to leapfrog, and use it as a business differentiator, not only as an IT initiative," she said.

At the same time, organisations need to prepare their workforce and teams for the AI transition, she said, noting that many companies feel that not all their employees may be ready yet to "leverage the latest and the greatest in AI".

"So we are working with many organisations on also the people-enablement part for leveraging on AI technology, and we are doing so ourselves. Really focus on enabling our employees on AI skills and being future-ready," she said.

Siow believes India can become a showcase for the company's vision of an "autonomous enterprise economy", aided by the country's strengths - its skills, diversity and enthusiasm for adopting new technologies.

It is pertinent to mention here that SAP envisions autonomous enterprise as the future of business, where people set direction and AI executes, with governance at every step.

"When I took on the role (as APAC President) in July, I had a vision of how APAC can be even bigger, better, and bolder, and how can we bring the SAP 'Autonomous Enterprise' to APAC and India...as we enable and partner very closely with our customers to become autonomous enterprise, we are actually creating a network and an autonomous enterprise economy. I think India is in a great position to showcase that," she said.

She added that India's skills, diversity and rich technology ecosystem can make the country a showcase for SAP's vision of an "autonomous enterprise economy" in the APAC region.

"I am inspired and motivated by the hunger for innovation, interest of our customers here - and we have been here for over three decades - to innovate with SAP and also with our labs team here to work very closely, and bring that innovation...Many customers are very keen to be the first to try out any new innovations that we are bringing to the market, so lots of potential and (we are) looking forward to doing great things in India," she further said.