SAP's acquisition spree signals the enterprise giant is serious about becoming an AI-ready data platform

SAP is acquiring open data lakehouse provider Dremio and AI company Prior Labs to expand its data platform. With Dremio, SAP's Business Data Cloud will combine SAP and non-SAP data using the open Apache Iceberg format. SAP CTO Philipp Herzig said the move will help customers go from fragmented data to AI-ready intelligence on an open platform. SAP had already acquired data management specialist Reltio earlier.

SAP is also investing one billion euros in Prior Labs over four years to advance so-called tabular foundation models, which aim to make structured enterprise data more useful. The startup sees the deal as the start of a new phase that will turn Prior Labs into the "next frontier AI lab."

The acquisitions are part of the German software giant's effort to catch up in AI. Early last year, SAP announced a strategic partnership with Databricks.