logo
SAS launches AI models after USD $1 billion investment push

SAS launches AI models after USD $1 billion investment push

Techday NZ2 hours ago

SAS has released a set of artificial intelligence models targeting business processes that are traditionally labour-intensive and time-consuming.
The launch is part of a USD $1 billion investment by SAS in industry-focused data and AI solutions intended to streamline specific business bottlenecks.
The newly introduced models are designed either for immediate deployment or to serve as a foundation that organisations can quickly customise, enabling faster model training on internal data. SAS states that these packaged models are compatible with existing systems and suitable for organisations regardless of size.
Model Applications
The available models span several industries. For cross-industry use, SAS has presented AI-Driven Entity Resolution and Document Analysis. Within health care, there is a model focused on Medication Adherence Risk, while manufacturing clients have access to Strategic Supply Chain Optimisation. Public sector releases include Payment Integrity for Food Assistance and Tax Compliance for Sales Tax.
SAS has indicated that each model was developed according to its Data Ethics Practice guidelines. According to the company, this ensures the resulting outputs are easy for organisations to understand and explain. SAS asserts that users can improve productivity and return on investment as a result of deploying these solutions, while maintaining an adherence to principles of responsible use.
Kathy Lange, Research Director at IDC, commented on the nature and flexibility of the SAS Models portfolio. She said, "SAS Models are based on SAS' core assets, talent and intellectual property from its wealth of experience working with customers to solve industry problems. Between its scalability and seamless integration with existing environments, SAS Models are a great option for those looking to accelerate time to production who might lack the expertise or time to build models from scratch."
Future Roadmap
In addition to the models now available, SAS outlined plans for expanding its industry-specific AI library. Scheduled for later in 2025 are new models addressing needs in banking (Fraud Decisioning for Payments and Card Models), health care (Payment Integrity for HealthCare), manufacturing (Worker Safety Monitoring) and the public sector (Tax Compliance for Individual Income Tax).
SAS also announced it is working on "agentic" versions of its models, designed to increase autonomy within business-specific AI solutions. According to SAS, these forthcoming agentic offerings will aim to further reshape operational efficiency by introducing pre-built agents capable of automating complex data preparation processes.
Data Preparation Solution
The challenge of preparing large volumes of raw data so that it is suitable for AI model training is significant for many organisations. Data scientists often spend extended periods building and refining data lakes—repositories that structure raw customer data for analysis.
SAS is responding to this challenge with an AI agent designed to automate complex data preparation processes, thereby facilitating real-time model operation with minimal manual intervention. "We believe the future of AI lies in agents that are not only intelligent but also responsible, ready-to-use and relevant," said Udo Sglavo, VP of Applied AI and Modeling, R&D at SAS. "Our new industry-specific models, built on decades of domain expertise and guided by our ethics-first approach, represent a bold step toward agentic AI: solutions that think with context, act with purpose and deliver real-world impact."
Delivery and Integration
SAS reports that organisations implementing its models have access to clear, simplified documentation intended to support transparent and responsible use. Each model can be tailored to meet sector-specific requirements and can supplement existing IT and business infrastructures.
The release of these new AI models represents the latest step in SAS' long-term development strategy, continuing its aim to address evolving customer priorities across a range of sectors.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

SAS launches AI models after USD $1 billion investment push
SAS launches AI models after USD $1 billion investment push

Techday NZ

time2 hours ago

  • Techday NZ

SAS launches AI models after USD $1 billion investment push

SAS has released a set of artificial intelligence models targeting business processes that are traditionally labour-intensive and time-consuming. The launch is part of a USD $1 billion investment by SAS in industry-focused data and AI solutions intended to streamline specific business bottlenecks. The newly introduced models are designed either for immediate deployment or to serve as a foundation that organisations can quickly customise, enabling faster model training on internal data. SAS states that these packaged models are compatible with existing systems and suitable for organisations regardless of size. Model Applications The available models span several industries. For cross-industry use, SAS has presented AI-Driven Entity Resolution and Document Analysis. Within health care, there is a model focused on Medication Adherence Risk, while manufacturing clients have access to Strategic Supply Chain Optimisation. Public sector releases include Payment Integrity for Food Assistance and Tax Compliance for Sales Tax. SAS has indicated that each model was developed according to its Data Ethics Practice guidelines. According to the company, this ensures the resulting outputs are easy for organisations to understand and explain. SAS asserts that users can improve productivity and return on investment as a result of deploying these solutions, while maintaining an adherence to principles of responsible use. Kathy Lange, Research Director at IDC, commented on the nature and flexibility of the SAS Models portfolio. She said, "SAS Models are based on SAS' core assets, talent and intellectual property from its wealth of experience working with customers to solve industry problems. Between its scalability and seamless integration with existing environments, SAS Models are a great option for those looking to accelerate time to production who might lack the expertise or time to build models from scratch." Future Roadmap In addition to the models now available, SAS outlined plans for expanding its industry-specific AI library. Scheduled for later in 2025 are new models addressing needs in banking (Fraud Decisioning for Payments and Card Models), health care (Payment Integrity for HealthCare), manufacturing (Worker Safety Monitoring) and the public sector (Tax Compliance for Individual Income Tax). SAS also announced it is working on "agentic" versions of its models, designed to increase autonomy within business-specific AI solutions. According to SAS, these forthcoming agentic offerings will aim to further reshape operational efficiency by introducing pre-built agents capable of automating complex data preparation processes. Data Preparation Solution The challenge of preparing large volumes of raw data so that it is suitable for AI model training is significant for many organisations. Data scientists often spend extended periods building and refining data lakes—repositories that structure raw customer data for analysis. SAS is responding to this challenge with an AI agent designed to automate complex data preparation processes, thereby facilitating real-time model operation with minimal manual intervention. "We believe the future of AI lies in agents that are not only intelligent but also responsible, ready-to-use and relevant," said Udo Sglavo, VP of Applied AI and Modeling, R&D at SAS. "Our new industry-specific models, built on decades of domain expertise and guided by our ethics-first approach, represent a bold step toward agentic AI: solutions that think with context, act with purpose and deliver real-world impact." Delivery and Integration SAS reports that organisations implementing its models have access to clear, simplified documentation intended to support transparent and responsible use. Each model can be tailored to meet sector-specific requirements and can supplement existing IT and business infrastructures. The release of these new AI models represents the latest step in SAS' long-term development strategy, continuing its aim to address evolving customer priorities across a range of sectors.

SAS Viya unveils new AI tools & services to boost productivity
SAS Viya unveils new AI tools & services to boost productivity

Techday NZ

time2 hours ago

  • Techday NZ

SAS Viya unveils new AI tools & services to boost productivity

SAS has announced a series of updates and new features on its SAS Viya platform, aimed at enhancing AI-driven productivity and supporting a wider range of users and organisations. Platform updates The SAS Viya platform now provides users with the ability to either build AI through a suite of end-to-end tools or purchase AI solutions and model packages, offering increased flexibility and productivity for decision-making across industries. Kathy Lange, Research Director for AI Software at IDC, commented, "SAS is evolving its strategy and portfolio to embrace a broader ecosystem of user personas, preferences, and technologies within an enterprise's AI technology stack. SAS continues to develop offerings that streamline and automate the AI life cycle and enable organisations to make better business decisions faster." Key releases SAS Data Maker, first introduced through a private preview, is a synthetic data generator designed to help organisations address challenges related to data privacy and scarcity. The tool also aims to simplify data management processes and reduce resource usage. The development of SAS Data Maker was accelerated by SAS's recent acquisition of principal software assets from Hazy, a specialist in synthetic data. General availability for SAS Data Maker is expected in the third quarter of 2025. SAS Viya Intelligent Decisioning, which is currently available, offers organisations the ability to create and deploy intelligent AI agents with a controlled mix of AI autonomy and human involvement. According to SAS, this is intended to ensure appropriate oversight for tasks with varied complexity and risk profiles. Another new addition is SAS Managed Cloud Services: SAS Viya Essentials. This service packages selected SAS Viya products into an out-of-the-box managed cloud environment. Initially targeted at small and medium-sized businesses, SAS Managed Cloud Services: Viya Essentials is intended to reduce barriers to adopting AI solutions by providing an accessible hosted service. The SAS Viya Copilot, an AI-powered conversational assistant, is built into the SAS Viya platform to support developers, data scientists, and business users with analytical, business, and industry tasks. Currently available by invitation through a private preview, the general release is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025. The Copilot offers AI-powered assistance with model development and coding for SAS users. It is built on Azure AI Services, reflecting the ongoing partnership between SAS and Microsoft. SAS Viya Workbench, originally launched in 2024, is a cloud-based environment intended for developers, data scientists, and modellers. The workbench supports coding in SAS and Python via Visual Studio Code or Jupyter Notebook. Updates in 2025 include the addition of R language support, the integration of SAS Enterprise Guide as an optional development environment, and expanded availability to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace in addition to the existing AWS Marketplace. AI in practice SAS has reported that organisations using the Viya platform benefit from the ability to build and deploy AI models more efficiently. The platform's structure allows multiple job functions—including developers, data scientists, IT professionals, and business analysts—to collaborate throughout the data and AI life cycle. SAS suggests this collaboration streamlines the path to making informed business decisions and accelerates productivity across various sectors and regulatory contexts. Referencing industry research, SAS cited a 2024 AI productivity study by Futurum Group: "SAS Viya helps users accelerate the AI life cycle, enabling them to collect data, build models, and deploy decisions 4.6 times faster than selected competitors – all while helping them increase innovation, expedite decision making and drive revenue growth." "The current economic climate and rapid pace of AI innovation can feel intense and overwhelming," said Bryan Harris, Chief Technology Officer at SAS. "Our goal is to deliver cutting-edge AI capabilities that help organisations navigate the hype and disruption, make breakthroughs in problem solving, and gain a decision advantage." Real world usage SAS highlighted the use of its platform by Fathom Science, a start-up focused on marine data analytics. Fathom Science used SAS Data Maker to generate synthetic shipping lane data, expanding their dataset to 500,000 points, in order to validate a model designed to predict whale locations and reduce the risk of vessel strikes on critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. SAS Viya Workbench was used subsequently to develop machine learning models for calculating the probability of whales' proximity to shore, assisting with statistical and machine learning validation of the location prediction model. SAS stated that through these enhancements, the Viya platform aims to support a diverse range of users in addressing real business and environmental challenges efficiently with AI-driven solutions.

Moomoo launches in New Zealand, offering US trades from USD $0.99
Moomoo launches in New Zealand, offering US trades from USD $0.99

Techday NZ

time11 hours ago

  • Techday NZ

Moomoo launches in New Zealand, offering US trades from USD $0.99

A new trading platform has launched in New Zealand, aiming to reduce barriers for local investors accessing US share markets by offering the lowest fees available for unlimited US trades and providing access to a broad range of stocks and exchange-traded funds. Founded in Silicon Valley in 2018, moomoo has expanded its presence globally, reaching over 25 million users across markets including the United States, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Canada, Hong Kong and Malaysia. This entry into the New Zealand market comes after moomoo's recent expansion into Australia, where it achieved the highest number of online broker app downloads within its first two years of operation. Investors in New Zealand now have the opportunity to trade more than 22,000 stocks and ETFs listed on markets in the United States, Australia, and Hong Kong. The platform offers more than 15,000 US stocks and ETFs at a fee of USD $0.99 (NZD $1.66) per trade. Michael McCarthy, Chief Executive Officer for moomoo Australia and New Zealand, said the platform was developed to democratise access to global markets for investors of all experience levels. "One of the unique features of moomoo is its ability to enable 'social investing', whereby the online community of global users are able to support and learn from one another, including sharing investing ideas and insights on stocks," McCarthy said. "This allows everyone from beginners to seasoned investors to learn investment strategies and share this experience with other users around the world. We also offer structured learning experiences and additional educational resources to assist users on their investment journey." McCarthy noted that these resources are targeted at helping investors track market trends, identify opportunities and make investment decisions that reflect their individual risk preferences and financial objectives. He added that the platform provides 24-hour US trading on every trading day, removing key time zone barriers for New Zealand investors and enabling access to US markets at any hour. "New Zealand has a strong investing culture, and we see growing demand for innovative, sophisticated tools that empower retail investors to navigate global markets with confidence," McCarthy said. "We are able to provide real-time market data, AI-powered analytics, advanced charting tools, and curated news from top-tier financial media outlets. These features transform the complexity of financial markets into intuitive, actionable insights, seamlessly integrated into the platform's user-centric interface." As part of its launch, moomoo is offering new users in New Zealand commission-free trading on Australian and US stocks for their first 30 days. Additional incentives include free reward stocks for users following eligible deposits. The moomoo app allows New Zealand investors to access features such as options trading and dividend reinvestment plans for US-listed shares, aiming to cater for a diverse range of investment strategies and needs.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store