ServiceNow and Fujitsu Link Up to Launch Innovative AI-driven Cross-industry Solutions

⇨ ServiceNow and Fujitsu have announced a strategic partnership to launch the Fujitsu-ServiceNow Innovation Center, focusing on digital transformation and solutions for the manufacturing sector, specifically in Engineering Chain Management and Supply Chain Management.

⇨ The partnership aims to leverage automation and AI technologies to streamline siloed enterprise systems, with Fujitsu planning to enhance its use of the Now Platform to deliver more value to its customers.

⇨ Fujitsu's expertise in AI and automation, combined with ServiceNow’s AI-first platform, is expected to create innovative cross-industry offerings that will improve operational efficiency and drive growth for global customers.

In mid-2024, at ServiceNow’s annual customer and partner event, Knowledge 2024, ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), SAP partner and AI platform for business transformation, and SAP solution build partner Fujitsu Limited, a global provider of IT services and digital transformation solutions, announced a new strategic commitment to launch innovative cross-industry solutions designed to maximize value for customers globally. The companies will launch a new Fujitsu-ServiceNow Innovation Center to focus on digital transformation and customer success, and Fujitsu will expand its own use of the Now Platform on its way to provide even greater value to customers.

As organizations across industries evolve from decades of manual work, legacy systems, and limited resources that slow operations and impact services, ServiceNow and Fujitsu will use automation to help businesses streamline siloed enterprise systems, applications, and complex business processes. The companies will first target the manufacturing sector and bring to the market solutions to manage overall Engineering Chain Management (ECM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) operations.

Recent SAPinsider research indicates that SAP organizations are still calibrating their strategic objectives around AI. In the research report, AI: State of Adoption 2024, more than two-thirds (67%) of companies reported that AI objectives are at best partially defined within corporate strategic plans or these AI objectives are actively being redefined. This indicates that AI strategies are still evolving, driven by rapid advancements in AI technology, changing market dynamics, and the need to stay competitive.

To accelerate innovation and development, the Fujitsu-ServiceNow Innovation Center will open in Kawasaki City, Japan, by the end of 2024, where the two companies will focus on collaborating on new solutions for customers, implement marketing activities and drive mutual human resource development to achieve higher quality customer success. These efforts will initially focus on cloud-based offerings that contribute to streamlining customer operations and realizing data-driven management by combining ServiceNow’s complementary solutions with Fujitsu Uvance, a business model of Fujitsu that aims to grow businesses and solve societal issues.

“Enterprises worldwide need a digital business model that frees up resources to fuel innovation,” said Bill McDermott, ServiceNow chairman and CEO. “This presents a massive opportunity for our partnership with Fujitsu. ServiceNow’s innovative, AI-first platform alongside Fujitsu’s deep industry expertise and global scale, will bring incredible value to our customers, turning their most complex operational challenges into opportunities for growth.”

“Fujitsu has been working with customers to improve a wide range of business and societal challenges using the powerful ServiceNow platform,” said Yoshinami Takahashi, Vice President and COO for Uvance at Fujitsu Limited. “As we embark on this new strategic partnership with ServiceNow, we will deepen the integration of our respective technologies and practical knowledge, including in areas like generative AI, as part of our efforts to develop a digital society, one of Fujitsu’s materialities. The new cross-industry offerings created through this partnership will provide even greater value to more customers and society.”

To further leverage ServiceNow as a powerful, integrated platform, Fujitsu and ServiceNow will combine Fujitsu’s world-class advisory services called “Fujitsu Customer Advisory and Support Excellence” (CASE) with the power of ServiceNow Impact – a comprehensive value acceleration solution from ServiceNow, to provide enhanced customer support. The insights gained from Impact’s global deployments, tools, and knowledge can be seamlessly translated into customers’ ServiceNow platforms through CASE’s professional services and will be globally available later this year.

As a ServiceNow customer, Fujitsu plans to use tools like Now Assist AI to improve the efficiency and automation of business operations, and use the knowledge gained to significantly streamline the development of innovative new offerings. For example, Fujitsu expects that by using generative AI capabilities like Fujitsu Kozuchi and Now Assist, they’ll reduce incidents by approx. 30%.

What this means for SAPinsiders

Participate in SAPinsider research. SAPinsider will be publishing a research report in December on AI in the Supply Chain that will explore the key drivers causing companies to adopt AI in supply chain, the primary strategies companies are deploying to operationalize AI in supply chain, the critical underlying capabilities that must be in place in order for AI to deliver durable outcomes, and the leading technology tools and providers companies are using to embed AI into supply chain processes and systems. Take the survey today and let your voice be heard!

Futjitsu’s AI and automation pedigree will benefit joint Innovation Center. Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer, a quantum-inspired technology, provides SAP customers with powerful optimization capabilities, particularly beneficial for complex logistical and supply chain challenges. This technology enables rapid processing of complex data scenarios, allowing SAP customers to solve problems that traditional methods struggle with. Fujitsu has historically combined AI and robotic process automation (RPA) to create intelligent automation workflows that span end-to-end business processes. SAP customers can benefit from these solutions in functions like finance and procurement, where automation reduces bottlenecks and improves accuracy across transactions.

Now Assist AI should shine for SAP customers targeting proactive issue resolution. ServiceNow’s Now Assist AI tool offers various benefits that align well with SAP’s enterprise environments. In SAP Supply Chain and asset management environments, Now Assist AI can be used for predictive maintenance by analyzing data patterns and identifying potential issues before they become critical. This capability minimizes downtime, improves operational efficiency, and optimizes maintenance schedules. By using Now Assist’s machine learning models to handle repetitive tasks, SAP customers can streamline resolutions for routine requests, such as password resets or access provisioning. Automated issue resolution saves time and enables employees to focus on higher-value activities.