SAP Labs Singapore drives next-gen AI innovation with local R&D talent

SAP Labs Singapore today announced its collaboration with National University of Singapore (NUS) under the Industrial Postgraduate Programme (IPP). Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the IPP is designed to enable globally-leading companies to nurture postgraduate talent with critical research skills. Through this program, SAP Labs Singapore will hire and complete training for nine researchers in its AI team in Singapore by end-2030, adding to the continued growth of the lab.

Since its establishment in 2022, SAP Labs Singapore has not only achieved its commitment to hire 200 AI engineers in Singapore but has also almost tripled its total headcount over the past three years to 420 – hired mostly from local universities and institutions of higher learning, including the NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). SAP Labs Singapore today plays a pivotal role in driving innovation, with numerous AI-related patents filed by inventors based locally. New researchers hired through the IPP will also be recruited from NUS, and will work on new research areas, complementing the work done by incumbent team, to accelerate AI adoption in the industry.

The rapid scaling and achievement of its hiring and innovation targets have been pivotal to enable SAP Labs Singapore to test, refine, and deploy AI advancements that offer tangible ROI across core SAP solutions including HR, finance, and supply chain software.

Agentic AI: Leading the Next Wave Beyond Generative AI

SAP’s engineering teams in SAP Labs Singapore are already playing a central role in driving Agentic AI, an evolution that moves from basic automation and predictive models to autonomous agents capable of managing entire workflows.

By harnessing Agentic AI, such as Joule agents, enterprises can turn AI investment into real business outcomes, including:

• End-to-End Process Automation: From procurement requests to invoice management, entire sequences become self-driving. 
• Smarter Decision-Making: AI agents collaborating across end-to-end processes to help businesses make better decisions in real time. 
• Scalable ROI: With applications, data and processes harmonized, organizations see faster time-to- value compared to traditional AI pilots.

“Our team at SAP Labs Singapore has co-created numerous client features, from one-click, guided, employee development goals creation in SAP SuccessFactors, to embedded analytical capabilities in finance. And the next step will be new agentic innovation, demonstrating that AI can transform traditional business challenges into opportunities,” said Saha.

The success of Agentic AI is underpinned by a unified data foundation. The newly launched SAP Business Data Cloud brings together large-scale datasets from multiple sources, ensuring that AI agents have the context they need to drive more intelligent automation.

The rapid growth at SAP Labs Singapore spotlights how Asia, with Singapore at its epicenter, is becoming a magnet for advanced digital technologies.

“Companies in Southeast Asia aren’t just catching up—they’re often leapfrogging into the most sophisticated AI use cases,” added Siow. “Our success at SAP Labs Singapore is proof that, when you combine visionary public policy with forward-thinking R&D investments, you can fast-track innovation that resonates around the globe. More and more customers in the region, such as Olam Agri, Bank Danamon, and Darussalam Assets, are already incorporating SAP Business AI capabilities into their business processes.”