Leading in data and AI

From the CEO

As we celebrate SAS’ 50th anniversary this year, we are filled with a deep sense of pride – and an even stronger sense of purpose.

Fifty years ago, with four employees and 300,000 lines of code, we launched one of the earliest independent software companies, with an ambition to help our customers get answers to critical problems. It’s remarkable how much our industry has changed since then. The way our world interacts with data today is beyond what most people could have imagined in 1976.

Every company must adapt to stay ahead. Very few technology companies have done it for 50 years. SAS has repeatedly navigated major disruption by meeting customers where they are today and anticipating what they will need next.

While SAS was developed for mainframes, the eighties marked the entry of multiple smaller machines and new operating systems. In 1985, as the personal computer revolution took hold, we rapidly rewrote the entire SAS system in the C programming language, opening the door to our multi-vendor architecture while others remained mainframe dominant. In the 1990s, SAS once again anticipated market disruption by adapting our software to run on the internet, virtually before the market had determined how to monetize the dot-com boom. In more recent years, this tradition of innovation led to our shift to cloud-native software, allowing our customers to run SAS on the cloud vendor of their choice while maintaining the option to run on premises, supporting digital sovereignty initiatives.

The reason SAS has endured decades of disruption is simple. Since day one, everything we have worked toward has been driven by a single objective: helping people turn data into decisions they can stand behind.

That objective matters even more today. AI is massively reshaping how work gets done. While its potential is clear, many organizations are asking a more fundamental question – whether they can trust the decisions AI helps them make. Over five decades, we’ve learned that progress works best when people remain accountable for outcomes. AI should accelerate progress, guided by human judgment.

That belief is why we design our technology with governance built in, value that can be measured and intelligence ready for real work in the industries we serve. 



With deep expertise, a leading data and AI platform, and standout industry solutions, SAS is uniquely positioned to deliver on our vision to be the most trustworthy data and AI partner powering the world’s decisions.

Our performance

In 2025, we continued to strengthen our platform, solutions and models to help customers outperform their competition. 



Our focus resulted in strong results. Once again, we continued to record more than $3 billion in annual sales and continued our uninterrupted streak of profitability. More than half of our sales came from outside of the United States, further emphasizing our global presence and impact. 



We saw 20% SAS Viya sales growth and 22% Cloud sales growth, marking our sixth consecutive year of double-digit cloud growth. Once again, our software and solutions stood out among the competition with 36 analyst evaluations recognizing our leadership in AI, machine learning, data management, decision intelligence and more in 2025.

SAS Viya

In 2025, we continued to strengthen our data and AI platform, SAS Viya, to help organizations move beyond the hype surrounding AI and focus on what delivers real value.

We introduced new capabilities to address data privacy, data scarcity and the need for faster, more responsible decision‑making. Innovations such as SAS Data Maker and SAS Viya Intelligent Decisioning enable organizations to develop data safely and deploy AI agents with an appropriate balance of automation and human oversight. We also lowered barriers to adoption through SAS Viya Essentials, expanded developer productivity with SAS Viya Workbench across cloud marketplaces and development environments, and introduced early capabilities of SAS Viya Copilot to accelerate the path from data to insight. Together, these investments reflect our commitment to helping customers make faster decisions without compromising trust.

SAS solutions

Last year, we also made significant progress across our expansive SAS solutions portfolio. Thanks to our long-standing solutions experience and deep domain expertise, our solutions get at the heart of unique industry challenges. 



We expanded our solutions with new and enhanced capabilities in areas such as risk
and fraud, customer intelligence, health care, manufacturing, banking and the public sector. We also introduced lightweight, prebuilt industry‑specific and cross-industry models and frameworks that apply trustworthy AI to real ‑world use cases, helping organizations address business challenges with precision and efficiency. These advancements represent our continued investment in solutions that combine deep industry expertise with responsible, transparent AI.

Our opportunity

SAS has the technology and expertise to help customers make confident decisions today. But our greatest opportunity is how we help them prepare for what comes next.

Agentic AI and autonomous decisioning

AI is evolving from analysis to action. Agentic systems that coordinate tasks and support decision-making will reshape how work gets done across industries. SAS helps customers apply these capabilities in practical, responsible ways, using our decades of experience building decisioning systems that operate reliably in the real world.

Copilots that expand productivity

Copilots are changing how people interact with data and analytics, making advanced capabilities more accessible. Our opportunity is not simply to make AI easier to use, but also to make it more useful. By connecting copilots to trusted data, governed models and domain expertise, we help customers move faster without sacrificing rigor or accountability.

Digital twins, built for real decisions

High-fidelity digital twins, built with advanced analytics, synthetic data and immersive simulation technologies, allow organizations to ask complex “what if” questions and evaluate thousands of scenarios safely and efficiently. SAS is scaling the impact of digital twins across industries, from manufacturing to health care to oil and gas. By connecting digital twins to trusted data and decisioning at scale, SAS helps organizations improve operations, reduce costs and protect people when the stakes are highest.

Preparing for what’s next, including quantum

Emerging technologies such as quantum computing hold promise to solve problems beyond today’s capabilities. While much of this innovation is still evolving, our role is to help customers understand what is practical now and how to prepare for what comes next. SAS R&D is driving advances in analytics and computing with quantum at the forefront of our research. We are primed to help organizations build the data strategies and decision frameworks they will need as these technologies mature.

Trustworthy AI as a foundation

As AI becomes more pervasive, trust is essential. Transparency, governance and accountability are no longer optional, especially in highly regulated environments. Trustworthy AI has always been foundational to how SAS designs and delivers its software, giving us a distinct advantage as organizations look to scale AI responsibly.

Our strategy

Keeping customers at the center

Our focus has always been on our customers, and the innovations that will drive meaningful change for their organizations. Take this memo from 1985, for example. In it, I shared with our employees the following:

“Our users are at the top of any SAS Institute organization chart. In every conversation, every letter, every contact with a customer, keep in mind that the user is the head of this company.”

Today, that customer focus is still ingrained into everything we do – from how we design our software to the ways we support customers long after a contract is signed.

Leading with industry-first innovation

SAS helps industry leaders find answers where the stakes are highest. Whether improving health outcomes, strengthening financial stability or helping governments better serve their communities, SAS delivers industry solutions that speak directly to the specific problems our customers face. By combining deep domain knowledge with trusted AI, SAS helps customers turn complexity into clarity and make decisions they can stand behind.

Scaling impact with SAS Partners

By combining our leadership in data and AI with the technology and industry expertise of our partners, we extend what we can deliver to customers. Across technology partners, global system integrators and channel partners, these relationships help customers move more efficiently from data to decisions.

Empowering the next generation of innovators

With deep roots in academia, we have always held a commitment to education and building the next generation of technologists. Today, we continue our focus on making data and AI education more accessible around the world with free and low-cost software for students and educators, expanded academic programs and global student competitions. We’re strengthening the pipeline of technical talent while opening doors to opportunity for people from all backgrounds.

Our principles

We’ve seen firsthand that when technology is built with care and discipline, it can improve lives, strengthen organizations and deliver lasting value. From the beginning, I believed that taking care of our employees would lead to better outcomes for our customers. What started as small tokens of appreciation, like free snacks, soft drinks and breakfast on Fridays, grew into unmatched benefits, amenities and resources to foster employee innovation. Our focus on doing the right thing for employees made us a workplace and culture pioneer, and it continues to put us among the world’s best workplaces today.

Our promise

Our promise reflects the kind of company we set out to be in 1976 and the company we choose to be 50 years later. We believe data and AI should be used to improve lives, strengthen communities and help solve meaningful problems. As AI becomes more capable, the need for human responsibility only grows. Our commitment is to keep people in charge of the outcomes, and to build technology that supports transparency and trust. As we look to the next 50 years, we remain committed to keeping people at the center, innovating responsibly and serving as a trusted partner to help power the world’s decisions.

Fifty Years of Trusted Innovation

A foundation built to last

SAS Viya: Making confident decisions with trusted, explainable AI

SAS Viya is a cloud-native data and AI platform built to help organizations make trusted, confident decisions at scale. By combining advanced analytics, explainable AI and governance by design, SAS Viya brings clarity and control to the entire data and AI life cycle, enabling organizations to act confidently while remaining transparent, compliant and accountable.

Actionable insights and explainability

SAS Viya translates complex data and models into clear, actionable insights that decision makers can trust. Automated, repeatable explanations present analytics in plain language, reducing uncertainty and enabling faster alignment across teams. This transparency supports confident decision making across diverse use cases – from financial risk management and operational safety to customer experience optimization.

End-to-end governance and trust


Every insight generated by SAS Viya is designed to withstand scrutiny. Built-in lineage, auditability and monitoring provide end-to-end visibility across data, models, and decisions, ensuring results are accurate, repeatable, and explainable. Integrated interpretability, fairness, and bias monitoring reduce model risk and support regulatory and ethical requirements, increasing confidence among business leaders, regulators, and stakeholders. Human-in-the-loop validation further ensures AI-driven decisions remain responsible and aligned with organizational standards.


Innovation with synthetic data


To strengthen AI development, SAS introduced SAS Data Maker, a capability that creates high-quality, privacy-preserving synthetic data for training and testing AI models while maintaining security and regulatory compliance.

Scalable, flexible and open by design

Built to scale from the start, SAS Viya delivers consistent governance and performance as data volumes, model complexity and organizational demands grow. The platform operationalizes analytics with built-in monitoring, performance tracking and life cycle management, ensuring value continues after deployment. Models adapt to changing data, regulations and business conditions without sacrificing oversight or control.

Flexible by design, SAS Viya supports multiple analytics approaches, including statistics, machine learning, computer vision and generative AI, within a unified governance framework. Its open architecture integrates with diverse programming languages and data sources, while its cloud- native, cloud-agnostic foundation enables deployment on-premises, in hybrid environments or across multiple clouds.


With decades of industry leadership and ongoing innovation, SAS Viya delivers industry-ready intelligence that allows organizations to deploy AI anywhere, scale with confidence and maintain control everywhere.

Accelerating meaningful industry impact

SAS takes an industry-first approach to innovation to deliver meaningful impact where complexity is highest. From financial services, health care and life sciences and the public sector to a grouping of industries we’re calling the commercial sector, SAS helps industry leaders make better decisions at scale.

Supporting the next era of financial services

Today’s leading financial services institutions must balance dynamic global macroeconomic forces, evolving customer expectations and complex compliance requirements – all while driving shareholder value and maintaining trust. To succeed, banks and insurers must harness data and employ AI at scale to become more intelligent, responsive and resilient.

SAS partners with more than 2,700 financial services organizations worldwide of all sizes to turn insights into actions that deliver decisive advantage. We help banks integrate analytics, AI and cloud technologies to enhance customer experiences, prevent fraud and modernize risk management without compromising governance and regulatory compliance. Insurers rely on SAS for advanced, cloud-native solutions spanning the entire insurance value chain, from quote to claim. Whether using AI to personalize products, improve underwriting and pricing or accelerate claims processing, the world’s largest insurance companies trust SAS to keep them ahead.

Global financial services leaders turn to SAS to power decisions, execute transformation, scale innovation and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.

Drive insights the public sector can trust

From public health to public finance, national security to infrastructure, SAS empowers the public sector to use data and AI responsibly to improve results and serve citizens better, faster and more efficiently. SAS helps governments put data to work to boost effectiveness and productivity and to create better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. With data and AI, governments are better prepared for uncertainty and can respond quickly to complex, evolving public sector challenges. Using trustworthy AI and advanced analytics from SAS, agencies can easily explain decisions and processes clearly while safeguarding data privacy and security. 



SAS’ first customer was a government agency, and today, more than 1,600 public sector departments, ministries, offices and agencies rely on SAS to enhance the safety, health and well-being of citizens. In public health, SAS is used to better quantify needs, inform policies, assess population health programs and address inequities. In tax, procurement and social services, SAS combats fraud and protects tax dollars by ensuring that funds reach the right people at the right time. Agencies responsible for security, infrastructure and oversight use SAS to analyze real-time data, understand current conditions, respond rapidly and optimize performance.

Worldwide, government organizations trust SAS to become more resilient, agile and capable – ready to tackle whatever challenges are around the corner.

The future of health starts with trusted data and AI


Across the health ecosystem – from drug discovery to clinical trials to patient care and hospital operations – data is the lifeblood of a healthier future. 



SAS helps health care payers, providers, and government health agencies innovate to improve health outcomes, enhance operational 
efficiency, and optimize resources and costs. In life sciences, SAS helps customers advance patient-centricity, improve operations and 
collaboration, and deliver safe, innovative therapies to market faster. 



SAS delivers explainable insights through tailored industry solutions powered by SAS Viya. 



SAS Health simplifies health data management with an end-to-end enterprise solution for health data integration, management, analytics and data automation. In 2025, SAS Health introduced SAS Health Cost of Care Analytics, enabling payers and providers to analyze episodes of care and identify cost-saving opportunities. Additionally, SAS Health integrated SAS Viya Copilot capabilities to further accelerate clinical data 
discovery with natural language search and AI-driven assistance. 



SAS Clinical Acceleration, also launched in 2025, modernizes clinical trial data management, analysis and regulatory submission. This modular, open, cloud-native content repository and statistical computing environment enables teams to collaborate more effectively across trials, phases and therapeutic areas. 



SAS Data Maker, released in 2025, supports the growing use of synthetic data in health care and life sciences to train and test AI models in place of or alongside real-world data. 14 SAS continues to innovate in data, AI and analytics to accelerate opportunities for a healthier future. Together, we deliver better health outcomes for more people worldwide.

SAS continues to innovate in data, AI and analytics to accelerate opportunities for a healthier future. Together, we deliver better health outcomes for more people worldwide.

Discover the full SAS solutions portfolio

Organizations seeking trusted, industry-specific solutions turn to SAS. SAS delivers tailored analytics and AI solutions that address business challenges – no matter the size or sector.

Energy & Utilities

SAS empowers energy and utility companies to transform data into actionable insights at scale. This drives better grid performance, more accurate demand forecasting and seamless integration of renewable resources, creating a more efficient and resilient energy future.

Retail

Leading retailers use SAS to predict demand, streamline customer experiences and optimize supply chains, driving smarter decisions and profitable growth.

Manufacturing

With SAS, manufacturers adopt emerging AI technologies, such as digital twins and computer vision, to surpass production goals, improve quality, enhance customer satisfaction and reduce energy costs.

Services

SAS equips service organizations with AI-driven analytics to optimize operations, scale transformation and ensure compliance.

Telecommunications, Media & Technology

From anomaly detection and fraud prevention to automated processes and network investment insights, SAS helps carriers innovate faster and stay ahead with trusted, explainable AI.

Trusted cross-industry solutions

Fraud and Compliance

SAS fraud detection, anti-money laundering and security intelligence solutions monitor transactions in real time, reduce false positives and ensure regulatory compliance -- protecting reputations and bottom lines.

Risk Management

SAS’ industry-leading risk solutions help organizations identify, measure and manage financial and operational risks. SAS continues to earn top distinctions for its risk solutions; we are the only vendor that has placed in the Top 5 of the Chartis RiskTech100 each year since its 2005 debut.

Customer Experience

SAS Customer Intelligence 360 helps organizations build stronger customer relationships by delivering personalized experiences at scale. It streamlines marketing efforts, improves engagement and drives measurable growth through smarter, data-driven decisions.

IoT Analytics

SAS IoT solutions turn IoT data into real-time insights – whether that data is at the edge, in the cloud or anywhere in between. From livestock monitoring to flood prediction, SAS and our leading-edge partners help organizations boost efficiency, reduce downtime, improve safety and make critical decisions faster.

Responsible innovations starts with 
responsible innovators

The rise of powerful AI technologies has sparked global conversations about the risks and opportunities of AI.

SAS believes responsible innovation starts with responsible innovators. That is why we work with customers, partners and academia to promote technology that is developed and deployed ethically, equitably and sustainably for individuals and societies.

SAS supports responsible innovation through the trustworthy AI features of SAS Viya, including bias detection, explainability, decision auditability and model monitoring, governance, and accountability. This includes model cards, standardized “nutrition labels” for AI models and provide transparency into components and performance.

In 2024, we launched AI Governance Advisory, a value-added service that helps customers assess and advance AI governance maturity. In 2025, we introduced the AI Governance Map, a dynamic resource that evaluates governance across four essential areas and charts a path forward. SAS is recognized as a Major Player in AI Governance by IDC, thanks in large part to our responsible innovation commitment.

Championed by SAS leaders and the SAS AI Ethics, Governance and Social Impact team, SAS collaborates with industries and governments to ensure the responsible use of SAS technology. We provide counsel and testimony based on 50 years of experience helping organizations gain insights through data.

SAS actively engages with regulators and policymakers worldwide to shape AI laws and policies.

SAS consults with the European Union (EU) and EU Member States to inform policies related to trustworthy AI. We are also a signatory of the European Commission’s AI Pact, accelerating the adoption of the European Union AI Act’s principles. We are represented on the European Advisory Board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, the world’s largest association of privacy, digital responsibility and AI governance professionals.

SAS collaborated with the Monetary Authority of Singapore-led Veritas consortium to integrate the Veritas Toolkit into the company’s AI solutions for the financial sector. SAS is also a member of Japan’s AI Governance Association and AI Safety Institute, as well as India’s Coalition for Responsible Evolution of AI.

SAS joined global tech firms, research institutions, nonprofits and Commonwealth member countries in the Commonwealth AI Consortium to champion AI innovation.

Alongside the Global Center of AI Governance, SAS is also exploring the opportunities and risks of AI for the Global South.

SAS will continue leading conversations on responsible AI innovation, working with and learning from customers, partners, academics, students, nonprofits, and policymakers to advance ethical practices and empower people with data and AI.

C O R P O R A T E  S O C I A L  R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

Improving our world through data and AI

Whether improving patient treatments and outcomes, protecting our environment or educating the next generation of data scientists, SAS believes in the power of data and analytics to improve lives. Knowing that trustworthy technology drives better decisions and a more sustainable future, we strive to help our communities and customers with their environmental, social and governance initiatives. As a global leader in data and AI, SAS is passionate about helping customers apply cutting-edge data management, AI technology and expertise to help solve some of society’s biggest problems.

Employee volunteerism & partnerships

Each year, SAS employees volunteer their time for Data for Good projects, applying their curiosity and expertise to create a safer, more ethical world. Thanks to these efforts, as well as our partnerships with customers, industry groups, nonprofits, governments and global organizations, SAS continues to apply technology to the world’s most pressing needs.

Data for Good

SAS champions the Data for Good movement, which encourages organizations to use data in meaningful ways to address humanitarian issues. SAS Data for Good projects showcase the power of SAS technology through initiatives like maximizing mental health resources, helping countries prepare for a crisis and protecting endangered animals and ecosystems. These efforts put SAS’ principles into practice, tackling pressing global issues through the lens of responsible innovation.

Corporate responsibility & philanthropy

Internally, we focus on our own corporate citizenship to improve the world we share, expanding sustainability and conservation efforts across global locations. SAS also supports communities through charitable donations, volunteering and applying our innovation for good in the world. Our corporate philanthropy focuses on strategic education initiatives that increase exposure to data, AI, analytics and computer science, helping build a stronger STEM workforce for the future.

E D U C A T I O N

Empowering a new generation of technologists

SAS offers educators and students free and low-cost analytics and AI software resources, including the SAS Educator Portal for data and AI integration into the classroom and the SAS Skill Builder for Students, an online portal to help launch students’ careers in AI and analytics. In 2025, over 250,000 educators and learners accessed our free software offerings and academic training portals. We also launched 52 new SAS Academic Specializations with colleges and universities worldwide and hosted the Curiosity Cup, where over 100 student teams from 29 countries competed in data science challenges.


Driving diversity in AI


To help increase diversity in AI, SAS partnered with the Commonwealth AI Consortium to provide AI software and computing resources to students in Commonwealth countries, particularly small states, promoting responsible AI education. Since 2023, SAS has welcomed fellows from Code the Dream, an organization making tech careers accessible to people facing career barriers. Fellows work on critical projects, receive intensive training and often transition to full-time roles at SAS.

Credentialing & skills recognition

In 2025, SAS launched SAS Knowledge Badges, a new credential designed to recognize specialized skills through focused learning and assessment. The SAS Knowledge Badge initiative aims to meet learners where they are in their skilling journey and build the confidence needed to pursue formal certifications. Unlike Learn badges, which mark course completion, and certifications, which require in-depth mastery, SAS Knowledge Badges are strategically positioned as a middle tier in SAS’ credentialing hierarchy. Learners who earn any SAS badge will appear in the SAS Certification and Skills Directory.

Communities

Our vibrant online community allows users to exchange extensive SAS expertise or look for help through presentations, hands-on workshops and access to SAS experts. The online community also provides a space for collaboration on global programs like the SAS Hackathon.

Data and AI literacy

In addition to our free data literacy courses, SAS launched free responsible innovation and trustworthy AI coursework for students and professionals.

Fostering a world-class culture

Our culture has always been central to who we are, connecting the curiosity that sparked our beginnings to the spirit of innovation that drives us forward. Built on trust, flexibility and our values, SAS encourages employees to try new things, take thoughtful risks and bring bold ideas to life. We are internationally recognized as a pioneer in creating a great workplace and remain true to that spirit every day.


Our holistic approach to corporate culture keeps SAS ranked among the best workplaces worldwide, consistently earning recognition for work/life integration and fostering a sense of belonging. At SAS, we embrace a multidimensional culture that blends diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives from employees worldwide.

This inclusive approach enables us to deliver world-class software that solves our customers’ biggest challenges. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere and strive to create an environment that fosters meaningful work, well-being and empowerment – making a difference that changes lives.