SAP Sapphire Madrid 2025

From May 26 to 28, Madrid became the global hotspot for business innovation. The SAP Sapphire Madrid 2025 event, held at IFEMA, brought together top leaders from the tech and digital sectors, led by Christian Klein, CEO of SAP. Over the course of three days, key topics took center stage—generative AI, sustainability, data integration, and strategic partnerships that are set to shape the future of the SAP ecosystem.

Klein’s keynote was one of the most anticipated moments of the event. He emphasized the game-changing role of generative AI in business and dropped a major announcement: a strategic partnership with Alibaba. This collaboration brings Alibaba’s Qwen language model into SAP’s AI core, opening up new doors for companies looking to automate and streamline their operations.

Industry leaders like Siemens Healthineers, BASF, and Pandora shared real-world success stories. They showed how SAP solutions have boosted their operational efficiency and sustainability, offering practical, relatable examples that really hit home with the audience.

Highlights of the event

Launch of SAP AI Foundation

One of the big reveals was the AI Foundation, a suite of services designed to build and deploy AI seamlessly within the SAP environment. Key features include:

• AI Agent Runtime in SAP BTP: Runs native AI agents without external scripts, improving integration and performance.
• Prompt Optimizer: Turns vague prompts into precise commands, cutting down hours of trial and error.
• Joule Studio (built into SAP Build): A low-code tool to create AI capabilities by linking data through the Knowledge Graph.

Joule, the smart assistant

SAP also announced the expansion of Joule, its generative AI assistant, now available across more business applications. Joule delivers real-time answers and helps fine-tune strategic decisions inside the SAP Business Suite. On top of that, Joule Agents introduce intelligent modules that can act on their own.

Strategic partnerships for stronger AI

SAP sealed deals with three tech heavyweights:

• Perplexity AI: Boosts Joule’s search power by combining internal and external data in real time. It sharpens the accuracy and relevance of answers, speeding up informed decision-making.
• Palantir: Merges SAP’s business data with Palantir’s advanced analytics to generate precise insights. It offers a clearer view of business performance in real time, making quick and strategic action easier.
• Adobe: Automates form and document management through SAP Forms Service, streamlining workflows. This cuts down operational time and errors, improving admin efficiency.

Upgrades to SAP Business Data Cloud

The SAP Business Data Cloud platform also got a major upgrade. It now makes it even easier to integrate data and pull-out strategic insights using AI. A standout new feature is People Intelligence, designed to improve decision-making in talent management.

SAP Sapphire Madrid 2025 made one thing clear: the future of business lies in AI, tech collaboration, and data-driven thinking. SAP didn’t just show off tools, they showed a real commitment to changing the way companies operate, make decisions, and grow in the digital age.