SAP Promotes AI Adoption to Accelerate Business Transformation

SAP is reinforcing its commitment to delivering tangible impact for the commercial sector through the application of artificial intelligence, deeply integrated with corporate data processing and workflows. This commitment was conveyed by President & Managing Director of SAP Southeast Asia, Liher Urbizu, at the opening of the SAP Now AI Tour Southeast Asia 2026 in Singapore on Tuesday (4/8). Urbizu described the ‘Autonomous Enterprise’ concept, introduced last May, as the most significant breakthrough in the software company’s five-decade history. This approach orchestrates hundreds of AI agents across key sectors, from customer experience and human resources to procurement, finance, and supply chain. The initiative is designed not merely to layer new technology onto old systems, but to re-engineer work processes to be more outcome-oriented, secure, and efficient. Urbizu noted that while AI adoption opportunities are vast, with around 25% of business processes already utilising AI, the primary industry challenge remains data readiness and quality. To address this, SAP relies on a unified semantic layer supported by a knowledge graph and strict security and governance standards, including readiness for external audits. Managing Director of SAP Indonesia, Sianto Wongjoyo, added that the Autonomous Enterprise structure is built on key components, including Joule as the customer interaction layer, industry-specific AI, a business AI platform, and SAP’s suite of applications covering supply chain, human resources, logistics, and finance. He stated that these layers are prepared to help clients accelerate digital transformation in the AI era, with partners enabling faster, modular adoption. Wongjoyo also highlighted SAP’s upcoming 30th anniversary in Indonesia, noting the company’s transformation extends beyond products to its customer approach, focusing on communication, education, and co-creation to drive AI adoption beyond mere hype. Charles Daniel Gobel, Director of PT Bumi Resources Minerals Tbk (BRMS), shared his experience of implementing cloud-based SAP across five companies in under six months, achieving accurate and timely financial closing. The company is now exploring SAP’s AI capabilities to further boost efficiency, with human oversight remaining crucial. From the energy sector, a Vice President at PT Geo Dipa Energi explained the company’s two-decade reliance on SAP and its planned migration to S/4HANA. The geothermal power supplier uses an integrated system to eliminate inefficient separate applications and leverages AI for predictive maintenance scheduling on its continuously operating power plants. However, integrating advanced technology requires workforce adjustment, as field technicians need time to balance system recommendations with their intuitive experience, making a strict human-in-the-loop mechanism essential. Consequently, upskilling programmes and change management are key to ensuring employees can confidently adopt new technology.