SAP Launches Major ‘Embodied AI’ Push with Humanoid, Neura Robotics, and Others

Enterprise software giant SAP has officially announced a major expansion of its "Project Embodied AI" initiative, revealing a new ecosystem of partnerships with leading robotics companies, including Humanoid, Neura Robotics, Unitree, and AgiBot, among others.

The initiative, announced at SAP's TechEd event, aims to solve a critical barrier to automation: making robots "cognitive." Rather than just performing pre-programmed movements, the goal is to connect robots directly to SAP's core business software—like its Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) and S/4HANA systems—to give them "business context awareness."

This integration would allow a robot to autonomously understand and execute complex tasks based on real-time production schedules, customer orders, and inventory levels.

"Embodied AI represents a fundamental shift in how robots understand and respond to business needs," said Philipp Herzig, CTO of SAP SE, in a previous announcement.

To prove the concept, SAP highlighted two key humanoid robot pilots that are already underway.

Pilot 1: Neura Robotics at BITZER

In a groundbreaking proof-of-concept, German robotics firm Neura Robotics has deployed its 4NE1 humanoid robot at the warehouse of BITZER, a global leader in refrigeration technology, in Rottenburg, Germany.

Through an Embodied AI proof-of-concept built on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP's EWM software successfully interacted directly with the 4NE1 robot. According to the companies, the humanoid performed real-time picking tasks autonomously, with the ability to adapt to last-minute order changes transmitted by the SAP system.

Before its physical deployment, the 4NE1 was trained virtually using NVIDIA's Isaac Sim software, ensuring a safer and more seamless integration into the real-world warehouse.

“Seeing NEURA Robotics and SAP working together on this milestone makes me incredibly proud,” said David Reger, Founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics. “We believe robotics is the next big thing for Germany and Europe, and we’re determined to make it happen through strong partnerships.”

Pilot 2: Humanoid at Martur Fompak

In a parallel project, UK-based startup Humanoid is teaming up with SAP and Martur Fompak, a global leader in automotive seating systems.

This exploration is testing how Humanoid's modular robots can support picking and packing operations at the company's production plants. The early-stage experiments connect the robots to SAP solutions to execute workflows like component retrieval, tray loading, and precise placement into production containers.

In this scenario, SAP’s embodied AI agents provide context awareness around specific production orders and component variants, a critical need in complex automotive assembly.

“SAP’s AI platform gives our robots intelligence to adapt and scale with enterprise needs, which creates flexible automation,” said Artem Sokolov, founder and CEO of Humanoid.

A Broader Robotics Ecosystem

This strategic push by SAP extends well beyond these two humanoid platforms. The company also announced partnerships with:

• AgiBot
• ANYbotics
• Booster Robotics
• Galbot
• Unitree Robotics

By creating an ecosystem of partners, SAP is positioning its software as the central "brain" for a new generation of cognitive robots, regardless of the hardware manufacturer.

This software-first integration strategy is rapidly becoming the next major front in the robotics race. For companies like Neura Robotics, it complements their hardware- and-component-focused alliances, such as their recent deep partnership with industrial giant Schaeffler. Together, these deals illustrate a clear trend: the path to large-scale humanoid deployment runs through deep integration with the industrial and enterprise software that already runs the global economy.