SAS has announced a targeted refresh of its Data Management portfolio, built on the SAS Viya data and AI platform, aimed at helping enterprises prepare, govern and activate data for AI without sacrificing trust or control.

The update responds to a widening gap between how fast organisations are deploying AI and how ready their underlying data actually is. In recent global research from IDC and SAS, nearly half of organisations, 49 per cent, cited noncentralised or poorly optimised cloud data environments as the top barrier to AI progress, with insufficient governance processes close behind at 44 per cent. Gartner separately predicts that 60 per cent of AI initiatives will fail due to a lack of AI-ready data.

Governance built into the data layer, not bolted on

Rather than layering controls on top of disconnected tools, SAS said it is embedding lineage, transparency and control directly into how data is accessed, prepared and activated. A core piece is SAS SpeedyStore, a cloud-native analytical data platform that runs analytics and AI alongside distributed data to cut unnecessary data movement.

“A modern data platform is now a mission-critical requirement as organisations move toward agentic AI workflows with less human oversight. SAS is redefining data management for the AI era by helping organisations optimise modern data estates, reduce complexity and unlock AI value, with governance and trust engineered directly into the foundation,” said Alyssa Farrell, Senior Director of Data and AI Strategy at SAS.

Copilots aimed at the data lifecycle itself

The refresh also introduces AI-driven assistance tools applied earlier in the data lifecycle, rather than only after data has been prepared for use.

• SAS Viya Copilot for Data Discovery — natural language exploration of governed data assets
• SAS Viya Copilot for Code Assistance — AI-assisted development inside SAS Studio
• SAS Data Maker — generates high-fidelity synthetic data while preserving privacy and auditability
• SAS Data Accelerator — runs SAS analytics inside existing cloud data warehouses and lakehouses

The announcement was made at SAS Innovate, the company’s global data and AI conference, as SAS marks 50 years since its founding.