SAS launches new data and AI solutions during Innovate. Trust in data remains the foundation of everything SAS does.
On Tuesday, SAS kicked off its annual Innovate conference in Grapevine, Texas. It is a celebratory edition, as SAS celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year. In five decades, the company has grown into a global player in analytics, but even for the most experienced veterans, there are no certainties today.
“AI is putting pressure on the entire chain,” notes CTO Bryan Harris. “Build or buy is once again a relevant discussion today. Companies are looking at whether they can replace vendors with AI. It is up to SaaS vendors, such as SAS, to reinvent themselves.” SAS aims to do this without losing its original philosophy: creating trust in technology and data.
Bringing Order to Chaos
During Innovate, SAS is launching a completely new product: the AI Navigator. With this platform, organizations create a central inventory of all AI models in use, their interdependencies, and supporting policies. The solution also works beyond the boundaries of the SAS Viya ecosystem.
“The AI Navigator provides an overview of what is being used, where it is being used, and for what purpose. Governance is more than a technological problem. With AI Navigator, we want to make reliable AI irresistible,” says Reggie Townsend, VP of AI Ethics at SAS. AI Navigator will be available starting in the third quarter via the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.
Investing in own strengths
The analytics specialist is not afraid to sweep through its own portfolio. Data Management, part of Viya, is getting a total makeover on the sidelines of Innovate. This is intended to more clearly highlight the different steps of the data cycle, from management to AI integrations. “SAS does not build anything in isolation, but as a connected ecosystem,” says VP of Global Engineering Jared Peterson.
One of the new additions is SpeedyStore, which allows organizations to “bring analytics to their data instead of the other way around,” Senior Director of Data and AI Strategy Alyssa Farell adds to her colleague’s point. This ensures that data needs to move less, benefiting both performance and control. “Data management is deeply rooted in the ecosystem. We invest in our own strengths, and not in acquisitions,” she adds, with a slight jab at Salesforce.
The AI agent hype has not escaped SAS either, but the company is doing it its own way. Viya Copilot is further evolving into an artificial analytics specialist, and SAS also supports MCP and RAG to connect Viya with external AI agents such as Claude. This should lead to better decisions, or as Marinela Profi (Global AI & Generative AI Market Strategy Lead) aptly puts it: “You don’t solve business problems with LLMs.”
SAS also offers ready-to-use AI models for various sectors, from a ‘SAS 360 Agent’ for marketing to agents for supply chain management and healthcare. The models aim to distinguish themselves by having knowledge of the specific context of the sector they were built for. “That makes the difference between AI technology that is not just interesting, but also reliable,” explains Udo Sglavo (VP of Applied AI and Modeling).
Test lab for quantum
During Innovate, SAS not only looks back on 50 years of experience in data and AI but also looks ahead. Last year in tropical Orlando, SAS tried to get us excited about ‘quantum AI,’ but this year that theme seems to play a less prominent role. That doesn’t mean a ‘quantum chill’ has suddenly set in, but the bar is still too high for many organizations.
This is also acknowledged by Amy Stout, who as Head of Quantum Product Strategy must guide SAS into the quantum era. In conjunction with Innovate, SAS surveyed business leaders on their thoughts on quantum technology. “Quantum is still seen somewhat as the ‘Wild West.’ We do see that companies find it interesting and want to invest, but also that too many practical obstacles still exist.” The top three obstacles are uncertainty about practical applications, high costs, and a lack of skilled personnel.
SAS wants to lower the bar and will open a ‘quantum lab’ for its Viya customers in the fourth quarter. This offers the opportunity to gain experience without having to buy a quantum computer and to compare for which use cases quantum can provide added value. The test lab will even include a built-in AI assistant to guide you through the wonderful world of quantum technology. “Companies will be able to experiment without high costs or a degree,” Stout summarizes.
Quantum is still seen as the ‘Wild West’.
Amy Stout, Head of Quantum Product Strategy SAS
With these new announcements, SAS wants to take AI out of the experimental phase and create a reliable impact. Reliability remains a non-negotiable requirement for SAS. “In uncertain times, trust is your most valuable currency,” Harris concludes on a philosophical note.