SAS India To Play A Role In Company’s $1 Bn AI-commitment
Earlier in May, US-based analytics company SAS said it would invest USD 1 billion over the next three years to further develop AI-powered advanced analytics solutions to cater to the unique needs of specific industries.
The billion-dollar investment includes direct research and development, industry-focused line-of-business teams, and industry marketing efforts. It will fund the work of SAS data scientists, statisticians and software developers working with consultants, systems engineers and marketers with specific industry experience.
But a part of the efforts in the USD 1 billion commitment towards AI is expected to come from SAS India, especially out of its Pune office, which is a big R&D contributor to SAS’ innovation efforts globally.
The team at Pune works across many product offerings, including the core SAS platform, data management, professional services, cloud operations and solutions in risk, fraud, IoT and retail.
Dr Rama Jayanti, Center Head and VP, SAS R&D India told BW Businessworld that the company has more than 900 employees in India, in the departments of R&D, sales and marketing. “And in R&D alone, we have grown more than 50 per cent over the past two years,” she added.
“All SAS R&D teams will support the (USD 1 billion) commitment to develop more industry-specific AI and advanced analytics solutions. These include teams at SAS headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, developers in Pune, India, SAS’ largest R&D centre outside the United States, and those at other sites around the globe,” shared Dr Jayanti.
“SAS will continue to invest in SAS India in 2023 and beyond. There is a rich talent pool in India, particularly in areas like user interface development using the latest technologies like React, or the development of mid-tier services, writing in Go. Joined by new graduates who have studied areas like machine learning or data science, we are confident in our ability to find the talent needed in a fast-paced marketplace,” said Dr Rama Jayanti, Center Head and VP, SAS R&D India
But what brought on the need for this billion-dollar commitment? “As our customers’ need change, SAS continually evolves to meet these changing needs. That’s one of the drivers behind our USD 1 billion investment. And this focus on our customers will guide our approach to the adoption of generative AI in SAS industry solutions,” said Udo Sglavo, Vice President of Advanced Analytics, SAS.
The investment is in line with the prevalent trend toward democratising data analytics. SAS believes that putting the power of advanced analytics in the hands of more people with varied experience and job roles will benefit organisations and society.
While SAS already offers a wide variety of industry-specific solutions, they will be further refined through the ongoing AI investment as it develops new solutions to address additional needs across industries including banking, government, insurance, health care, retail, manufacturing, energy, telecom/media and more.
“Through this investment, SAS will continue to support companies using AI, machine learning and advanced analytics to fight fraud, manage risk, better serve customers and citizens, and much more. We remain steadfast in our ongoing commitment to innovation while delivering the market’s best analytics,” said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight.
