How NEC Is Becoming an AI-Native Enterprise with SAP, RISE with SAP and Business AI

How does a 125-year-old technology company reinvent itself for the AI era? In this executive conversation, NEC CIO Toshihiko Nakata shares how NEC is becoming an AI-native enterprise by transforming core systems, processes, and ways of working with SAP. NEC’s Client Zero approach puts internal transformation first, then turns those learnings into value for customers and society in Japan. Nakata-san explains how NEC strengthened data-driven management by moving core systems to the cloud, standardizing process data, and using dashboards to improve business visibility and performance. You will also hear why NEC chose RISE with SAP and how a clean core strategy helps reduce complexity by addressing around 1,600 add-ons, enabling faster innovation and more efficient updates. The discussion closes with NEC’s view of AI as digital labor, including how SAP Business AI and Joule support everyday work and scalable enterprise adoption. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 00:12 - NEC transformation and Client Zero in Japan 01:03 - Data-driven management dashboards 01:59 - Why NEC chose RISE with SAP 03:23 - Clean core and reducing add-ons with AI 05:55 - AI as digital labor with SAP Business AI and Joule 07:45 - What’s next for NEC and SAP Discover more customer stories and insights on SAP News 👉 https://news.sap.com Follow us on social: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sap Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAP/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sap About SAP: As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit: https://www.sap.com/index.html #BusinessAI #RISEwithSAP #SAPBusinessAI