SAP invests in AI workflow orchestration company n8n at $5.2bn valuation

n8n, a provider of AI workflow orchestration technology, has reached a $5.2bn valuation following a strategic investment by SAP.

This step, which more than doubles n8n’s valuation from $2.5bn less than a year ago, is accompanied by a multi-year commercial partnership.

Under the partnership, SAP will embed n8n’s automation platform into Joule Studio, the agent-building environment of the former’s Business AI Platform. This move seeks to expand enterprise automation and agentic AI solutions within SAP’s software ecosystem.

n8n founder and CEO Jan Oberhauser said: “For n8n, securing SAP as a strategic investor marks a pivotal moment.

“As one of the world’s largest enterprise software companies, its decision to back n8n and to embed us inside Joule Studio reflects genuine confidence in our platform and our vision.”

SAP’s investment and integration strategy will provide its customers with access to n8n’s workflow automation technology through a visual, multi-mode interface.

The n8n automation canvas will support development across no-code, low-code, and pro-code environments while inheriting SAP’s compliance and security protocols.

Organisations gain the ability to connect SAP software with over 1,000 external business tools, database platforms, and AI models. This aims to reduce integration efforts and timelines for corporate automation projects.

n8n reports a user base of 1.7 million active developers each month and more than 1,400 enterprise customers, spanning large global corporations to independent developers and startups.

The platform operates under a fair code license. It enables users to create automated workflows where AI identifies business events, coordinates decisions, and triggers actions across integrated services.

Unlike traditional workflow software, n8n is designed for agentic, multi-agent orchestration, supporting a variety of AI models in a customisable and auditable environment.

Data control and regulatory compliance are said to serve as core elements in the SAP and n8n collaboration. n8n enables customers to maintain full sovereignty over their data, addressing compliance with GDPR, sector-specific requirements, and organisational data residency standards.

n8n claims that its platform as suitable for enterprises facing barriers to AI adoption in regulated environments, aiming to deliver automation solutions that comply with varying legal and policy requirements.

SAP CEO Christian Klein said: “To provide accurate and secure business outcomes at scale, agentic AI must be grounded in deep process knowledge, reliable data, and enterprise-grade governance.

“By integrating n8n into Joule Studio, we’re accelerating SAP’s ability to help customers design, connect, and scale agentic AI across their core business processes.”

SAP presented the Autonomous Enterprise initiative at SAP Sapphire 2026, describing an integrated approach for managing AI agents and automating core business functions.

Its Business AI Platform combines the company’s technology and data platforms in a single governed environment. The SAP Autonomous Suite, launched as part of this effort, will include over 50 domain-specific Joule Assistants spanning finance, supply chain, procurement, HR, and customer experience.

These assistants orchestrate more than 200 specialised agents to automate processes end-to-end, such as shortening financial closing cycles by automating reconciliations and journal entries.

SAP also introduced Industry AI, a family of seven autonomous, industry-focused solutions that integrate sector-specific logic, data models, and regulatory requirements.

These developments are supported by the SAP Knowledge Graph, which offers AI agents a structured representation of business operations, data, and relationships within SAP environments.

Joule Studio functions as SAP’s dedicated environment for building agents and workflows, now incorporating n8n’s tools and integrations. Developers working within Joule Studio access no-code, code-first, and AI-based frameworks on SAP-managed infrastructure that emphasises enterprise security and scalability.

Earlier this month, SAP announced the acquisitions of Prior Labs and Dremio to strengthen its AI research and enterprise data management.