Welcome to the SAP Business AI product updates for the first quarter of 2026. Although I'm new to the role of Chief AI Officer, the goal remains the same: support our customers so they can derive real value from AI.

joulesour new user experience, is gaining momentum and is driving improvements for our customers. Customers are already increasing the efficiency of their customer serviceimprove Development processes, accelerate the implementation of projects and much more.

SAP Business AI for the supply chain

Project Setup Agent
Beta release

Project managers can now quickly set up new projects using data from similar previous initiatives. The agent bypasses complex interfaces and reduces dependence on the project management office to facilitate the rapid allocation of key resources required for an effective project launch. With 10 percent time savings when creating projects, 16 percent when allocating resources, and 30 percent when reworking projects due to incorrect templates, teams can now shift their focus from operational coordination to increasing the profitability and efficiency of their projects.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, AI-supported retrieval of equipment information in service management
General availability

Service managers using the AI-powered retrieval feature in SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition gain a complete, 360-degree view of customer equipment. The feature provides instant access to warranty information and a complete service history, complemented by AI summary and actionable recommendations. This allows service managers to monitor service schedules more efficiently, reduce potential downtime and ensure customers' equipment is operating at peak performance.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, AI-supported recommendations for inputs for creating returns orders
General availability

Returns clerks can create customer returns faster by using data field recommendations based on historical data. This feature analyzes previous returns documents with similar process variants to automatically suggest the most common input values ​​and return reasons, minimizing manual data entry and reducing errors. Organizations benefit from a one percent reduction in data management costs and a five percent reduction in business and operational analytics spending. This allows returns teams to process orders more efficiently without sacrificing accuracy.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP Integrated Business Planning, AI-powered MRO inventory analysis
General availability

Inventory planners get a new analysis assistant with the MRO inventory analysis function for SAP Integrated Business Planning. The feature accelerates root cause analysis by generating clear, natural language summaries that explain the key drivers for recommended safety stocks and reorder stocks. By turning complex calculations into understandable insights, planners can reduce the time spent analyzing inventory runs by 30 percent. This leads to faster implementation of results and ensures that inventory parameters align with strategic business goals.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP Integrated Business Planning, add-in for Microsoft Excel, AI-supported planning
General availability

Supply chain planners can now simplify their work with a new AI-powered planning add-in for Microsoft Excel. Instead of manually creating complex formulas or formatting rules, which often requires technical expertise, they can simply describe their requirements in natural language. The system then automatically generates the correct syntax. This intuitive way of interacting with the system eliminates technical hurdles and increases planners' efficiency by 10 percent, allowing them to focus more on strategic analysis rather than implementation details.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP Integrated Business Planning, AI-powered system security testing
General availability

Supply chain planners and security analysts gain a reliable method to evaluate system configurations against established security recommendations. The feature assesses compliance status and provides clear guidance on required adjustments. This allows administrators to identify and resolve potential gaps while aligning configurations with SAP best practices. Organizations can expect a 27 percent increase in hardening policy compliance and a 32 percent reduction in effort to meet security recommendations. This feature strengthens the protection of sensitive data and reduces the risk of security breaches.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP Integrated Product Development, AI-supported problem report creation
General availability

Maintenance teams can simplify the creation of formal problem reports by leveraging AI capabilities in SAP Integrated Product Development. By describing a problem in Joule's own words, the assistant intelligently extracts important details such as problem name, tags and priority and then automatically generates a structured report. This streamlined process significantly reduces manual data entry effort and ensures all reports are consistent and meet company standards, improving overall efficiency.

Learn more and start here.

SAP Integrated Product Development, AI-supported requirements model creation
General availability

Requirements managers now have a more direct way to create requirements models in SAP Integrated Product Development using natural language commands with Joule. This feature allows you to initiate new models, set names, and apply templates in a single step without having to navigate complex folder structures. This streamlined approach provides a much faster starting point for new projects and allows users to start working immediately without requiring in-depth knowledge of repository layout.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP Field Service Management, AI-supported automatic planning analysis
General availability

Field dispatchers and consultants can now access clear, on-demand explanations of automated planning results that make complex system logic easier to understand. The new feature interprets planning reports and translates technical scoring details into business-relevant insights. It provides explanations as to why certain technicians were assigned, alternatives were not considered, and certain activities were not planned. This transparency leads to a 12.5 percent increase in dispatcher productivity and a five percent reduction in incorrect resource allocations. This increases confidence in automated decisions and significantly reduces analysis time.

You can find detailed information here.

SAP Digital Manufacturing, AI-supported short text expansion
General availability

Quality managers documenting complex manufacturing problems can now create clear, objective, and structured descriptions with minimal effort. SAP Digital Manufacturing for problem solving enables the generation of descriptions. This involves refining rough initial input, removing bias and subjective language, and creating balanced, factual problem statements. With support for multilingual translation and improved clarity, companies can improve quality engineers' efficiency in problem-solving by up to five percent and reduce errors throughout the problem-solving process by up to ten percent.

You can find detailed information here.

Jonathan von Rüden is Chief AI Officer at SAP SE.

*Disclaimer: This article describes the expected benefits for companies. All calculations are estimates based on SAP customer case studies, SAP benchmarks and other research. Actual benefits may vary and may be affected by additional factors not considered in this article. The information is provided without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. SAP assumes no responsibility for any damages associated with the use of this article. On the side https://www.sap.com/legal-notice Please see “Legal Notice” for the terms of use, disclaimers, mandatory disclosures and restrictions applicable to this material.