German enterprise software company SAP sees India as a major development and adoption centre for its artificial intelligence strategy, citing the country’s technology workforce, enterprise customer base and role within the company’s global research network.
SAP Asia Pacific President Verena Siow told PTI on August 19 that India could become a showcase market for SAP’s “autonomous enterprise” model, under which AI agents undertake defined business processes while people set priorities and retain oversight.
The assessment reflects SAP’s plans for the Indian market and its global product strategy rather than an independent projection of enterprise AI adoption in the country.
India hosts SAP’s largest R&D operation outside Germany
India’s importance to SAP extends beyond software sales. The country hosts the German group’s largest research and development operation outside its home market, with SAP Labs India contributing to work on AI, data and enterprise applications.
President Siow said Bengaluru is undertaking a significant part of the company’s AI and data-related development. India is also among SAP’s fastest-growing markets and supports a large network of technology partners that implement and extend its enterprise software.
This gives the country two roles in SAP’s international operations: as a market for business software and as a development base for products used by customers in other regions.
Customers seek to move AI beyond pilot projects
According to President Siow, companies in India and across the Asia-Pacific region are attempting to move AI initiatives from trials to operational deployment.
She said customers are increasingly asking how AI can be integrated into business processes and produce measurable outcomes, rather than remaining confined to experimental projects led by IT departments.
President Siow attributed India’s potential in this area to its technology talent, diverse business environment and companies’ willingness to test new products. She also acknowledged that workforce readiness remains an issue, with organisations needing to train employees before AI tools can be used more widely.
SAP is working with customers on employee training while expanding AI skills among its own workforce, she added.
What SAP means by an ‘autonomous enterprise’
SAP introduced its Autonomous Enterprise strategy at the company’s Sapphire conference in Orlando on May 12, 2026.
The model combines enterprise applications, business data and specialised AI agents that can carry out parts of finance, procurement, supply-chain, human-resources and customer-management processes.
SAP’s Business AI Platform brings together its technology platform, Business Data Cloud and AI services in a governed environment. The company has also announced an Autonomous Suite comprising more than 50 domain-specific assistants and over 200 specialised agents.
The systems are intended to automate defined workflows while incorporating security, compliance and human supervision. Their wider adoption will depend on customer deployment, organisational preparedness and the availability of reliable enterprise data.
SAP also announced a €100-million fund for partners developing or deploying AI assistants and agents on its platform.
India’s place in SAP’s Germany-linked innovation network
SAP has operated in India for more than three decades, making it one of the most established German technology companies in the country.
Its Indian operations form part of a development network centred on the company’s German headquarters in Walldorf. Engineering and research undertaken in Bengaluru feed into products designed for international markets, while Indian customers provide a large and varied environment for enterprise-software deployment.
President Siow said this combination could allow India to demonstrate SAP’s autonomous-enterprise strategy across sectors. Her remarks also point to the changing nature of India–Germany commercial ties, with research, software engineering and AI development becoming increasingly important alongside traditional manufacturing and industrial cooperation.
