SAP's user group chief says AI costs are stacked on prices that are not falling. He doubts that can last.
Thomas Henzler is the new chairman of DSAG, the German-speaking SAP user group.
He told Computerwoche that prices for existing SAP software are not coming down, while AI costs are added on top. The AI also needs those SAP systems to run, he said.
"I do not believe that this can be a sustainable model for the whole market in the long run," Henzler said, in our translation of the German interview.
He was just as blunt about vendors' agent counts. One names 600, the next 700, another 1,500, he said. Sometimes a single automated task is now called an agent, and the customer is supposed to pay extra for it.
Henzler, the technology chief at a machine maker and DSAG's former board member for licensing, also praised parts of SAP's AI. He said Joule Work Desktop already makes a good impression. He expects SAP's Financial Closing Agent to bring efficiency gains, though he would not put a percentage on them.
SAP CEO Christian Klein confirmed to him in person that he is open to talks, Henzler said.
Our reading: Henzler says the rules for AI pricing are being set right now. For SAP customers, the AI licence terms are the negotiation to watch.
Sources
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