SAS Continues AI Investment, Introduces Quantum AI Lab

During the SAS Innovate 2026 conference, the data and AI company introduced new platforms to manage next-generation innovation and investments in industry accelerators, as well as an update on its digital twin technology.

Managing the supply chain: AI tailored to real-world use cases

Among the announcements SAS made are continued investments in industry accelerators and a portfolio of AI agents, models, and model pipelines to solve industry challenges.

This investment includes the launch of SAS Supply Chain Agent, which will roll out soon to enterprises globally.

This offering streamlines supply and operations planning (S&OP), a process utilized by retailers and manufacturers to manage supply chains.

“Current pre-packaged agents tend to tackle basic processes; with Supply Chain Agent, SAS is compressing a very complex process, which could deliver significant value,” said Kathy Lange, Research Director at IDC’s AI, Data, and Automation Software practice. 

“This offering positions SAS to bring its longstanding supply chain knowledge to a new generation of agentic AI solutions.”

The offering allows users to optimize supply chains, forecast future needs based on usage patterns, and reduce waste and over-ordering. Further, users maintain ongoing, near real-time visibility into supply chain operations and can interact with the agent via an intuitive chat experience that empowers them to problem-solve.

Digital twins update shows medical industry use case for AI

Last year, SAS used its conference to show attendees how its digital twin technology – in partnership with Epic Games and Georgia-Pacific – is changing how manufacturers operate.

This year, the enterprise demonstrated how that technology has expanded with Stericentral, a large medical sterilization center in Denmark. 

By creating a fully virtual facility replica, Stericentral can explore and test scenarios that could prevent or slow the delivery of its vital services and optimize how they operate.

“Together, we built an amazing digital twin over there – a living ecosystem of every room, machine, and workflow,” said Bryan Harris, CTO, SAS. 

“Because of the incredibly high-developed graphics, we were able to train a computer vision model that checks if their workers are properly protected here. We call this new approach Synthetic Vision.”

Quantum AI Lab: Preparing for the Next Frontier

In Q4 2026, SAS will also introduce SAS Quantum Lab, a launchpad for organizations on their quantum AI journeys.

The Lab helps reduce the cost of quantum AI exploration and helps customers avoid false signals. Among the features of the Quantum AI Lab are:

• The ability to compare classical, quantum, and hybrid computing structures side-by-side for industry use cases. This allows users to find the best solutions for their business problems.
• Performance-boosting capabilities, with current testing showing more than 100 times speedup and 99 percent cost savings.
• A virtual platform AI tutor that answers questions, offers sample code, and suggests next steps to accelerate learning.

“Across the market, you can consistently hear about these three major barriers to entry: high costs, uncertain business value, and a steep learning curve,” said Amy Stout, Head of Quantum Product Strategy, SAS. “Quantum Lab was designed intentionally to address all three.”

With this innovation, SAS is investing beyond current AI and into next-generation computational models.

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