• Deutsche Telekom’s enterprise division has teamed up with a major supply chain platform
• SupplyOn is connecting its platform to the T-Systems Industrial AI Cloud
• The partners aim to help companies make increasingly complex decisions in a quicker, easier and more secure ‘sovereign’ way

T-Systems, Deutsche Telekom’s enterprise services division, has partnered with industrial supply chain network giant SupplyOn to integrate AI into European supply chain operations and offer enterprises a service that will accelerate their processes and meet sovereignty requirements.  

SupplyOn, which enables digital collaboration between about 140,000 companies in more than 100 countries, has developed a platform that manufacturers and suppliers use to manage their core supply chain processes, including procurement, supplier management, quality assurance, logistics and risk management. 

The company is connecting its platform to the T-Systems Industrial AI Cloud, a move that enables companies to “automate and accelerate procurement, logistics and supplier management processes with AI while retaining full control over their data,” noted Deutsche Telekom in this announcement. 

The move addresses what the partners say is “a key challenge facing industry today”. “Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex, regulatory requirements are rising, and geopolitical risks continue to grow. At the same time, companies need to make decisions faster and on the basis of data. The combination of AI and sovereign infrastructure provides the technological foundation to meet these demands.

AI processes run on the T-Systems Industrial AI Cloud. Sensitive procurement, production and supplier data remain under European control and are processed in accordance with strict data protection and security standards. This enables companies to leverage the benefits of AI while meeting requirements for privacy, security and digital sovereignty.”

DT added: “By connecting to T-Systems’ sovereign infrastructure, companies will be able to integrate AI applications directly into existing supply chain processes. The partnership creates a powerful and sovereign AI platform for digital collaboration between manufacturers and suppliers.”

In the first instance, SupplyOn will use the T-Systems Industrial AI Cloud to support its new AI-native sourcing service, which will enable AI agents to support procurement teams throughout the sourcing process, including supplier selection, bid evaluation and the preparation of informed purchasing decisions. All AI processing is carried out entirely within DT’s Munich-based AI datacentre. 

T-Systems CEO Dr. Ferri Abolhassan stated: “AI is becoming the operating system of modern supply chains. Companies that want to harness the full potential of this technology must retain control over their data, applications and processes. Together with SupplyOn, we make exactly that possible: Enabling innovation through sovereign and secure digital infrastructures, without creating dependencies.” 

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV