SAP Labs says India hub driving global AI innovation

1st phase of Bengaluru campus to be up by Q2'25

PTI Bengaluru: SAP labs India, the biggest R&D hub for German software maker SAP outside its headquarters, is sharply focused on driving global AI innovations from here, managing director Sindhu Gangadharan said adding that plans for opening a new, sprawling campus in Bengaluru are on track. SAP Labs India is on an expansion drive and the construction of the first of the three phases of a new campus in Bengaluru is already underway, another company official said adding the first phase entailing a capex of Euro 80 million is expected to be completed by Q2 of 2025. Gangadharan said that AI and GenAI (generative AI) have triggered an "incredible" business transformation, enabling companies to leverage the new-age technologies to reimagine customer experiences and processes, she said asserting that India with its talent and skillset has the power to lead AI innovations.

SAP Labs India is focusing on Custom AI and multi-agent AI technology to drive the next wave of business transformation for its customers, she said. "SAP Labs India is the largest R&D hub for SAP outside of our headquarters. In fact, 40% of our global R&D workforce is sitting out of India," Gangadharan told reporters here. SAP labs India is sharply focussed on building innovations for the world, she said. "We are 15,600 strong in India, as we speak and 13,600 focused on core R&D. And this is the only location of SAP where we have the entire breadth of our product portfolio in one location," she said adding that Bengaluru represents the company's largest hub within India.

"We are present across five cities across India. Bengaluru is our largest hub as we speak. We are also in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Pune and Hyderabad...And I always say India is the place to be, and right now, there's absolutely no doubt about that," she said. The excitement around India is backed by sheer numbers, said Gangadharan, who recently took over as the new chairperson of apex IT industry body NASSCOM.