Subject: Re: FKA: SAP SE
Here's a long-ish summary of the article. I'm not sure there's a lot of meat in it.

SAP is one of the most powerful corporations in the global economy. Many people are familiar with its applications from everyday office life--for planning business trips or submitting expense reports, for example. But SAP's software is deeply embedded in companies, usually out of sight.

Ninety-nine of the world's 100 largest companies are SAP customers and around 40% of global economic output runs on SAP systems, from energy and utilities, pharmaceuticals, and banking to intelligence agencies, the military, governments, and law enforcement. The logistics and operational readiness of entire NATO armies depend on SAP systems.

In China, SAP is gradually expanding its cloud activities and deepened its partnership with the Alibaba Group this year. The goal is to attract more and more Chinese companies to its products.

Recently, Klein traveled to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with the UAE's National Security Advisor. They discussed strategic directions for AI and sovereignty and how SAP can support these developments. SAP also plans to invest €20 billion in a sovereign cloud for Europe to help European companies compete globally and become less dependent on external influences.

The question, however, remains: will this actually work? A significant portion of the computing power SAP needs for its services comes from the USA, specifically from the data centers of Microsoft, Google, and others. Klein has repeatedly emphasized that SAP shouldn't build its own AI data centers. He's argued that opposing the infrastructure of hyperscalers is pointless. Critics say that this means that sovereignty in Europe may exist on paper, but not necessarily in reality. How can it be prevented that data ultimately flows out and control shifts elsewhere when the computing power resides on servers in the USA?

According to SAP, they have built a layer into their software to prevent data collected in Europe from flowing further. And laws also prevent misuse--at least in theory. Many businesses may desire full-stack alternatives that they can completely control themselves, however.

Criticism of SAP has recently intensified. This spring, the company ended its diversity programs in the US under threat from Trump. In doing so, SAP abandoned initiatives focused on gender diversity and the advancement of women. SAP is also facing several lawsuits and legal proceedings. The software manufacturer 09 is suing SAP in the US. The allegation: former employees, now working at SAP, stole trade secrets. SAP has also been engaged in a legal battle with Celonis, which accuses SAP of illegal business practices and anti-competitive behavior. The European Commission also opened an antitrust investigation against SAP.

If all goes well, SAP, as the architect of digital sovereignty in Europe, will lay the foundations for this future and thus become even more influential. What remains is the question of how SAP will, or even can, separate economic interests from geopolitics. After the start of the war against Ukraine, the company shut down its business in Russia. Will this also happen if China attacks Taiwan? Unclear. The only certainty is that SAP operates agilely, adaptably, and largely invisibly.