Blog Editor-in-Chief

SAP T/5 Hana With AI: Nothing but a Pipedream?

Artificial intelligence could be the key to an evolutionary ERP as a successor to R/3 and S/4. AI language models offer semantic and syntactic options for a T/5 Hana to be used beyond 2040.

With the advent of ChatGPT, there has been much discussion about the creation of automated algorithms on demand. For beginner programs like “Hello World”, this could even work in Abap. This makes it conceivable that an AI Language Model could focus on business knowledge and steampunk (Embedded Abap on the SAP BTP) and thus program the R/3 and S/4 successor T/5. Is this nothing but a pipe dream? But if SAP now acquires Aleph Alpha, an AI-generated T/5 Hana could see the light of day in the ERP world in a few years.

SAP T/5 by Aleph Alpha

Aleph Alpha, based in Heidelberg, Germany, shows that it is possible to create language models for semantic tasks in limited subject areas with even less effort. An AI language model could create an ERP ontology for the R/3 and S/4 successor T/5 and possibly also program it with Abap.

S/4 successor

SAP persistently refuses to discuss an S/4 successor, which is very awkward. In the ERP world, planning reliability is the most important asset. An S/4 that will run until 2040 is an adequate insurance policy, but for proper ERP planning, SAP’s customer needs parameters that extend into the middle of the century. No one will commit SAP to bits and bytes in this regard but, similar to other industries, ERP users need a possible roadmap. SAP’s refusal to think about the future of ERP and to outline visions seems petty and fearful.

ERP crystal ball

Predictions are difficult. No customer is going to ask SAP for an ERP blueprint for 2050. But there is a lack of discourse on future ERP architectures. SAP’s desire for all existing customers to hand over their licenses and move to the cloud is not enough. Users, providers, analysts, journalists; none of them have an ERP crystal ball. In the field of computer science and mathematics, a good deal of experimentation goes on at universities and in laboratories; an ERP discourse could be developed on the basis of these findings.

ERP Language Model

The results of OpenAI and Aleph Alpha do not yet provide concrete answers, but they offer perspectives on how future IT systems might work. A business language model could perhaps take the ERP world to a higher level. SAP possibly taking over Aleph Alpha would not only be interesting in this regard, but also strategic. It would put SAP at the center of a discourse on the future of business management informatics, and would avoid a rather unpleasant discussion on infrastructure such as private and public cloud.

B2B informatics

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: with BTP, Fiori, Datasphere and Steampunk, SAP has interesting techniques that, in combination with AI and ML (machine learning), could lead to a new quality of ERP. An AI Language Model from Aleph Alpha could soon be able to present SAP’s customers with a new ERP ontology. SAP itself should seize the opportunity and commence the discourse.

Any comments, questions, or concerns? Feel free to leave us a comment below.

About the author

Peter M. Färbinger, Editor-in-Chief

Peter M. Färbinger is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher at E-3 Magazine, B4Bmedia.net AG, Munich, Germany. He can be reached at pmf@b4bmedia.net

Add Comment

Click here to post a comment

Sign up for e3zine´s biweekly newsbites

Please do not use administrative mail adresses like "noreply@..", "admin@.." or similar as these may get blocked for security reasons.

We use rapidmail for dispatching our newsletter. By signing up, you agree that the data you have entered will be transmitted to rapidmail. Please take note of their terms and conditions and privacy policy.termsandconditions.

Our Authors