SAP(SAP) - 2025 Q4 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The total cloud backlog reached EUR 77 billion, up 30% year-on-year, indicating strong underlying business momentum [6][25] - Cloud revenue grew by 26% year-on-year, primarily driven by the strong performance of the Cloud ERP Suite, which increased by 32% [27] - Total revenue for the full year approached EUR 37 billion, up 11% [27] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - More than two-thirds of Q4 cloud order entry included business AI, which increased by over 20 percentage points compared to Q3 [5] - The Cloud ERP Suite accounted for 86% of total cloud revenue for the year, reinforcing its position as a key growth engine [27] - Software licenses revenue decreased by 27%, contrasting with the growth in cloud revenue [27] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Korea, and Spain showed outstanding performances in cloud revenue, while China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the US were particularly strong [28] - The company outperformed the cloud market by 10 percentage points in 2025 [15] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on leveraging AI to enhance business resilience and productivity, with a clear strategy to embed AI into business processes [4][5] - The RISE and GROW with SAP initiatives remain core pillars of the transformation strategy, targeting large-scale enterprises and mid-sized companies [24] - The company aims to achieve a run rate of around EUR 2 billion in real cost efficiencies by the end of 2028 through internal AI usage [21] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged geopolitical uncertainty and macroeconomic volatility as challenges but expressed confidence in the company's ability to drive growth through AI and cloud solutions [4][24] - The outlook for 2026 anticipates a moderation in CCB growth but expects total revenue growth to accelerate, supported by a strong foundation [32] Other Important Information - The company plans to initiate a new two-year share repurchase program of up to EUR 10 billion, reflecting confidence in sustainable business strengths [31] - Non-IFRS basic earnings per share increased by 36% to EUR 6.15 for the fiscal year 2025 [31] Q&A Session Summary Question: Concerns about CCB growth and pipeline for Q1 - Management noted that the 25% CCB growth was impacted by a higher share of large deals with longer ramp periods and some deals with cancellation clauses, but bookings performance was ahead of plan [40][41] Question: AI-driven cost savings and R&D focus - The company plans to achieve EUR 2 billion in savings through business growth without a restructuring plan, focusing on scaling the business with AI [47][49] Question: Customer adoption of AI offerings - Approximately 60% of existing cloud customers are actively using the AI offerings, with a significant increase in adoption of the AI copilot tool [57] Question: TCB growth dynamics and BDC contribution - Management acknowledged a steep deceleration in TCB growth but emphasized the strong pipeline and expected contributions from the Business Data Cloud in 2026 [74]