SAP Grounds AI in a Data-First Reality At Seoul Event

Enterprise Artificial Intelligence (AI) is founded on data. This was the message from SAP’s recent ‘Unleash Your Future with Business AI’ tour stop in Seoul, South Korea on July 15. For the SAP professionals gathered at the event, the discussion moved past the hype and into the practical realities of making AI work. The consensus? Your AI strategy is only as good as your data strategy.

SAP BDC and AI

This sentiment was powerfully captured by Irfan Khan, Chief Product Officer for Data and Analytics at SAP. He pointed out that 82% of companies are investing a significant amount of time in data management. He also highlighted that a focus on governance and security only is no longer enough. The core challenge, he argued, is that many businesses are stuck in data management mode, unable to truly utilise their data to fuel the AI-driven insights they need.

According to Khan, SAP aims to solve this issue with its AI First, Suite First strategy. This strategy involves seamlessly integrating business suite where applications, data, and AI create a self-reinforcing flywheel effect. The lynchpin of this strategy is the SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC).

Presented as the foundational layer for intelligent enterprise, SAP BDC is designed to create a single, coherent view of all business data. It integrates both SAP and non-SAP sources without the costly and complex process of data copying. This harmonised data layer directly powers SAP’s AI copilot, Joule. The data layer provides it with the rich, contextual information needed to deliver meaningful analysis and recommendations.

The session also featured insights from Korean industry leaders like S-Oil and Samsung SDS. Through these cases, SAP reinforced that the conversation has decisively shifted. Thus, for SAP professionals, building a competitive edge in the AI era starts with the foundational, and often challenging, work of building a clean, integrated, and accessible data core.

What This Means for Mastering SAP Insiders

The fundamental role of Enterprise Resource Planning is changing. AI is transforming ERP into a predictive engine that anticipates what will happen next. For example, instead of only closing the books, AI-infused ERP systems can now forecast cash flow with more accuracy, predict late invoice payments, and identify potential disruptions in the supply chain. This shift is powered by embedding AI capabilities into core SAP S/4HANA processes and leveraging the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). For APAC businesses, which operate in some of the world’s most dynamic and fast-paced markets, this predictive power is essential for maintaining a competitive edge.

Practical, embedded AI is delivering value now. SAP is rolling out hundreds of specific, business-ready AI use cases that are embedded directly into the applications that teams use every day. For example, a procurement manager can use Joule to automatically generate a purchase order from an email, or an HR leader can use AI to draft a tailored job description in seconds, or a finance team can automatically flag duplicate invoices. Companies across APAC, from LG Energy Solutions in South Korea to NTT Data Inc. in Japan, are already implementing these tools to drive real-world efficiency. The focus is on business AI that provides practical tools to solve concrete problems.

AI is powerless without good data. Research consistently shows that challenges with data quality, silos, and legacy applications are the biggest barriers to successful AI adoption. SAP’s answer, the SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC), aims to solve this by creating a unified data layer that integrates SAP and non-SAP data without complex duplication. SAP users in the APAC region must prioritise their move to RISE with SAP and adopt a clean core strategy. This disciplined approach to data management is the non-negotiable foundation for leveraging advanced AI tools like Joule and staying ahead of the curve.