SAP and Databricks Add New AI Tools to Boost Data Access

Databricks and SAP announced they are deepening their collaboration. Four new features will join the existing SAP Databricks platform. The additions are Genie, Lakeflow, Unity Gateway and Lakebase. The deal was highlighted at SAP’s TechEd event in Berlin. SAP Databricks first appeared in February 2025, running Databricks inside SAP’s Business Data Cloud.

Genie will act as an AI helper that can be linked with SAP’s own assistant, Joule. This connection will let answers pop up directly inside SAP software. SAP also introduced the Application Data Foundation, a fresh method to pull data from business applications whether they sit in the cloud or on a company’s own servers. The new foundation aims to cut the need for custom pipelines that often strip away important context.

The timing matters as SAP is urging customers to move off the legacy ECC system before mainstream support ends in 2027. More than nine out of ten Fortune 500 firms rely on SAP solutions, according to Databricks. "Data is the foundation for enterprise AI," said Philipp Herzig, SAP’s chief technology officer. The statement underscores the importance of easy data access for AI projects.

One real‑world example comes from SAF‑Holland, a maker of trailer components. The company now processes analyses five times faster after loading over 100 million records into SAP Databricks. The speed boost shows how the expanded tools can translate into tangible performance gains for businesses.