SAP
SAP SE is a German multinational enterprise software company providing cloud ERP (S/4HANA), HCM (SuccessFactors), procurement (Ariba), expense (Concur), and the Joule Business AI platform to large enterprises across 78+ countries, with a strategic pivot toward an Autonomous Enterprise platform anchored in SAP Business Data Cloud.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersWalldorf, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What SAP does
SAP SE is a German multinational enterprise software corporation, founded in 1972 and headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg. Listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker SAP) and as an ADR on the NYSE, the company serves large enterprises across 78+ countries with a portfolio spanning cloud ERP (S/4HANA Cloud), human capital management (SuccessFactors, SmartRecruiters), procurement and spend (Ariba, Fieldglass), travel and expense (Concur), customer experience, and supply chain management, plus wholly-owned digital adoption (WalkMe) and enterprise architecture (LeanIX) subsidiaries. Its core technology stack is the SAP Business AI Platform, built on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and SAP Business Data Cloud, integrating the Joule AI assistant, Joule Work workspace, Joule Studio, Joule Agents, and a proprietary SAP Knowledge Graph that grounds AI outputs in harmonized enterprise data across SAP and non-SAP systems. The platform leverages multiple AI model providers — Anthropic Claude, Mistral, Cohere — with NVIDIA providing secure runtime infrastructure.
SAP's revenue model is dominated by recurring cloud subscriptions (62.4% of Q1 2026 sales with 19% YoY growth and 27% constant-currency cloud growth), supplemented by software licenses, professional services through a global SI ecosystem (Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini, NTT DATA), marketplace/partner transaction fees, legacy maintenance (35,000 ECC customers of which only 39% have migrated to S/4HANA as of late 2024), and emerging usage-based AI consumption pricing. The company is undergoing a strategic platform pivot — branded 'Autonomous Enterprise' at SAPPHIRE 2026 — that ties Joule AI access to cloud migration commitments and positions SAP as an enterprise operating system. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales, channel partners, event-driven demand (SAPPHIRE, SAP Connect), marketplace listings, and an API-first developer posture, with a sizeable installed base across consumer products, discrete manufacturing, public services, defense (via SAP NS2 sovereign cloud), and regulated industries.
SAP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SAP
- Legal name
- SAP SE
- Website
- https://sap.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- SAP SE is a German multinational enterprise software company providing cloud ERP (S/4HANA), HCM (SuccessFactors), procurement (Ariba), expense (Concur), and the Joule Business AI platform to large enterprises across 78+ countries, with a strategic pivot toward an Autonomous Enterprise platform anchored in SAP Business Data Cloud.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SAP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Enterprise Application Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Core ERP Suites (Financials, Procurement, Projects) (HDAEAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ERP Extensions & Add-ons (CPQ, Billing, Revenue Management) (HDAEAEAO), Enterprise Integration, iPaaS & Middleware Services (API/EDI) (BPAEAGAH), Professional Services Automation (PSA) & Services ERP (HDAEAEAF), ERP/CRM/HRIS Implementation & Integration (BPAEAAAE)
Keywords
Where SAP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walldorf
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
SAP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Cloud Subscription Revenue: Recurring cloud subscription revenue from SAP Cloud ERP, S/4HANA Cloud, RISE with SAP, and Business Technology Platform. Q1 2026 showed 27% constant-currency cloud revenue growth; cloud revenue represented 62.4% of sales with 19% year-over-year growth.
- Software License Revenue: One-time and term-based software licensing for SAP S/4HANA, ECC (legacy), and other on-premises enterprise software products. RISE with SAP and GROW packages drive new license sales and migrations.
- Professional Services and Consulting: Revenue from SAP Consulting, implementation services, partner-led deployments, and managed services delivered through SAP ecosystem (Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini, NTT DATA, Protera, Highbar Technocrat).
- Marketplace Commission and Partner Transaction Fees: Revenue from SAP Store marketplace transactions, partner app endorsements, and ecosystem enablement through SAP PartnerEdge Build and Sell programs.
- Maintenance and Support: Recurring maintenance fees for legacy ECC and on-premises SAP customers, generating 35,000 ECC customer base with only 39% migrated to S/4HANA as of late 2024.
- Usage-Based AI Consumption: AI consumption-based pricing through Joule, with conditional Joule access for ECC customers tied to 50% maintenance spend commitment to cloud services. Represents shift toward outcome-based and usage-based revenue tied to AI tokens and agent executions.
- Managed Services (RISE with SAP, SAP NS2): Managed cloud services and hosting revenue, including SAP NS2 RISE cloud services for the DLA $903M IDIQ contract and similar managed cloud offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Quote-based enterprise pricing for SAP Cloud ERP, S/4HANA, RISE with SAP, Joule AI |
| Other | Annual | Joule AI conditional access for legacy ECC customers |
| Per seat | Annual | SAP HCM Base and Premium packages |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free SAP Learning Hub, student edition for India |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Usage-based AI consumption pricing |
Go-to-market motion5 records
SAP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SAP develops and sells enterprise application software centered on cloud ERP (SAP S/4HANA Cloud), the SAP Business Technology Platform, and SAP Business Data Cloud, augmented by the Joule Business AI layer with 200+ specialized agents. Application suites cover financial management, spend management and procurement, supply chain, human capital management, customer experience and commerce, and process intelligence (Signavio, LeanIX). The portfolio is delivered via multi-year subscription contracts with extensive professional services and a global SI partner ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SAP Joule: AI-powered assistant, agents, and workspace for enterprise business processes.
- Joule Work
- Joule Studio
- SAP Ariba
- SAP Concur
- SAP Fieldglass
- SAP SuccessFactors
- SAP S/4HANA
- SAP Business Technology Platform
- SAP Business Data Cloud
- SAP Business Network
- SAP LeanIX
- SAP Signavio
- SAP Customer Experience (CX)
- SAP Commerce Cloud
- SAP NS2
- WalkMe
- SmartRecruiters
- RISE with SAP
- SAP Knowledge Graph
- SAP Integration Suite
Products and services
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud Core cloud ERP suite for finance, supply chain, procurement, HR, and operations; supports the Autonomous Enterprise vision with embedded Joule AI and 200+ specialized agents.
- SAP Business Technology Platform Cloud platform for integration, data management, extensibility, and AI development, hosting Joule Studio, SAP Integration Suite, and SAP Business Data Cloud.
- SAP Business Data Cloud Unified data foundation harmonizing SAP and non-SAP enterprise data for AI applications, with zero-copy integration, trusted real-time data integration, and governance.
- SAP SuccessFactors Human capital management (HCM) cloud suite for core HR, payroll, talent, and workforce management, including the optional SmartRecruiters recruiting and ATS.
- SAP Ariba Procurement, source-to-pay, and supplier management cloud suite enabling autonomous spend management across sourcing, contracts, and payments.
- SAP Concur SaaS travel, expense, and invoice management platform; the Concur Travel Experience adds Joule-powered AI recommendations, cost estimates, and trip planning.
- SAP Fieldglass Contingent workforce and services procurement management cloud solution.
- SAP Customer Experience (CX) Customer experience and CRM suite including SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP Sales Cloud, and SAP Service Cloud, with autonomous agents for marketing, commerce, sales, and service.
- SAP Commerce Cloud Unified commerce solution (formerly hybris) for B2B and B2C digital commerce.
- SAP Signavio Process mining and transformation analysis suite for mapping, analyzing, and improving business processes.
- SAP LeanIX Enterprise architecture management and business transformation software supporting AI-enabled process optimization.
- WalkMe Digital Adoption Platform with DeepUI technology for auto-adapting user guidance across enterprise applications, serving approximately 1,600 customers and 35 million users.
- SAP NS2 (SAP National Security Services) Sovereign cloud, hosting, and managed services for U.S. Department of War agencies, certified at FedRAMP+ Impact Level 5 for Controlled Unclassified Information and National Security Systems.
- RISE with SAP Cloud ERP transformation program and bundle that combines S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Business Technology Platform, and managed services to migrate customers to a cloud ERP estate.
- SAP Joule AI-powered assistant, agents, and workspace for enterprise business processes; first wave of Joule Assistants reached general availability in Q2 2026 with Joule Work coordinating autonomous workflows across SAP and non-SAP systems.
- Joule Studio Pro-code and low-code tooling for building AI agents, apps, and automations, accessible to developers and business users and integrated within Joule Work.
- Joule for Developers AI-driven developer tools including ABAP Cloud that generate ABAP code extending business processes and automate testing.
- Joule in SAP for Me Conversational AI assistant embedded in the SAP for Me customer portal that automates case analysis, response drafting, and personalized enterprise support.
- SmartRecruiters AI-powered recruiting and applicant tracking system that integrates with SAP SuccessFactors HCM and includes the Winston conversational assistant.
Companies that use SAP
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles4 records
SAP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
SAP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SAP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oracle: Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, NetSuite, and Oracle Database directly compete with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Business ByDesign, and HANA — both vendors target the same large-enterprise core ERP, database, and cloud infrastructure workloads.
- Microsoft: Microsoft Dynamics 365 directly competes with SAP across ERP, CRM, and finance, and Microsoft's Copilot AI stack, Azure cloud, and Power Platform overlap with SAP Joule, BTP, and Integration Suite — making Microsoft SAP's most consequential cloud ERP and AI rival.
- Salesforce: Salesforce competes directly with SAP Customer Experience (Commerce Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud) and increasingly with SAP's data/AI stack via Data Cloud and Agentforce — both vendors target the same enterprise CRM and customer-data layer.
- Workday: Workday directly competes with SAP SuccessFactors in HCM and with SAP S/4HANA Cloud in financial management, and both vendors are positioning AI agents (Workday Illuminate vs. SAP Joule) as the next generation of workforce and finance automation.
- Infor: Infor provides industry-specific CloudSuites that compete head-on with SAP's industry ERP offerings (manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, public sector) — particularly relevant for SAP's installed base considering migration.
- ServiceNow: ServiceNow competes with SAP in enterprise workflow automation, integration, and AI agent platforms (Now Platform vs. SAP BTP/Joule) — both vendors target the same 'AI-powered business operations' category with overlapping CRM, HR, and finance workflow adjacencies.
Emerging players
- IFS: IFS provides asset- and service-heavy industry ERP (aerospace, defense, energy, manufacturing) that competes with SAP's industry cloud solutions and S/4HANA — a niche but increasingly relevant rival for SAP's industrial customer base.
- Coupa Software: Coupa competes with SAP Ariba in spend management, source-to-pay, and treasury — overlapping directly with SAP's Intelligent Spend and Business Network portfolio and increasingly with AI-driven autonomous procurement.
Broad incumbents
- Accenture: Accenture is both SAP's largest global implementation partner and a broad incumbent in enterprise application services that competes with SAP Consulting on large-scale ERP/CRM transformations, including the new SAP-led sovereign cloud partner designation program.
- IBM: IBM competes with SAP in enterprise consulting, hybrid cloud (IBM Cloud vs. SAP BTP on hyperscalers), and increasingly in enterprise AI (watsonx vs. SAP Joule/Business AI) — a broader incumbent that overlaps with SAP's platform and services portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SAP social profiles
Digital presenceSAP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SAP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
SAP subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
SAP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SAP M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A57 records
Investments47 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SAP
What does SAP do?
SAP develops and sells enterprise application software centered on cloud ERP (SAP S/4HANA Cloud), the SAP Business Technology Platform, and SAP Business Data Cloud, augmented by the Joule Business AI layer with 200+ specialized agents. Application suites cover financial management, spend management and procurement, supply chain, human capital management, customer experience and commerce, and process intelligence (Signavio, LeanIX). The portfolio is delivered via multi-year subscription contracts with extensive professional services and a global SI partner ecosystem.
Is SAP a public or private company?
SAP is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was SAP founded?
SAP was founded in 1972. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is SAP based?
SAP is headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SAP make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Cloud Subscription Revenue is the primary driver. The others are software License Revenue, professional Services and Consulting, marketplace Commission and Partner Transaction Fees, maintenance and Support, usage-Based AI Consumption and managed Services (RISE with SAP, SAP NS2).
Who are SAP's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, Workday, Infor and ServiceNow. Emerging players are IFS and Coupa Software. Broad incumbents are Accenture and IBM.
Does SAP have an API?
Yes. SAP exposes APIs through its Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP Integration Suite, and product-level APIs across S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, Ariba, Concur, and Customer Experience. Developers and partners can build integrations, extensions, and workflow automations that connect SAP and non-SAP systems. As of June 2026, SAP's new API policy restricts third-party AI agents' access to business-critical SAP data at the protocol level. Public developer resources, SDKs, and the API Business Hub are referenced through SAP's product pages; no specific public documentation URL is provided in the source material.
What industry is SAP in?
SAP's product category is Enterprise Application Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAEAA, Core ERP Suites (Financials, Procurement, Projects), with a secondary code of HDAEAEAO, ERP Extensions & Add-ons (CPQ, Billing, Revenue Management). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.