SAP iXp Intern - AI Research PhD Associate

We help the world run better

At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed. 

What You’ll Build

The SAP Internship Experience Program is SAP’s global, strategic, paid internship program that provides university students with opportunities to find purpose in their careers. This is more than an internship, it’s the foundation for a career built on connection, creativity, and impact.

Position title: SAP iXp Intern - AI Research PhD Associate 
Location: Palo Alto
Expected start date: October 2026
Contract Duration: 4 months
Work Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week

• As a PhD Intern you will work with a team of experienced researchers and data scientists taking on challenges posed by the SAP customers and product units and providing smart services across and beyond the SAP portfolio. You will have the chance to work with some of the richest data sets available in the world addressing real-world problems
• Perform state of the art research to advance Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Choose from different focus topics: Foundation Models on Structured, Tabular Data; Scalable access to business data using LLMs and Knowledge Graphs
• Publish research results and contribute to research that can be applied to SAP product development
• Collaborate with academic researchers and cross-functional partners including communicating research plans, progress, and results
   

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for someone who takes initiative, perseveres, and stay curious. You like to work on meaningful innovative projects and are energized by lifelong learning.

• You are a PhD student at least in your second year or PostDocs, specializing in our research area: Generative Foundation Models on Structured Data
• Experience with a strong foundation in machine learning, including building systems utilizing deep learning, natural language processing, LLMs, Foundation Models, or Knowledge Graphs
• A strong publication record in recognized ML/NLP conferences or journals such as ACL, EMNLP, ICLR, ICML, NeurIPS
• Proficient in PyTorch, Python, and HuggingFace Transformers, with a good understanding of statistical analysis and shell programming
• Must be fluent in English.
• The duration of the internship is at least 4 months but ideally 6 months and should take place in 2026.

Where You Belong

Be part of SAP Next Gen, a global community for students, universities, schools and educational partners, who are passionate about innovation and technology.

1. Culture of Collaboration: Partner with experienced SAP colleagues and expert mentors who will support your growth. Grow professionally through personalized mentoring, coaching, and career development support.
2. Project-driven Experience: Kickstart your career with hands-on learning experience, making an impact from day one by contributing to meaningful projects that help the world run better. You’ll have endless learning resources at your fingertips and gain future-ready skills from a variety of virtual, in-person, and hybrid learning sessions, cultivated just for you, and aligned with our learning approach.
3. Gain Visibility: Build relationships with leaders and peers across teams and functions. Showcase your ideas, skills, and creativity in a global, fast-paced environment. Open doors for future career opportunities within SAP and beyond.

SAP's AI organization is dedicated to seamlessly infusing AI into all enterprise applications, enabling customers, partners, and developers to enhance business processes and generate remarkable business value. Leveraging the cutting-edge developments in AI research along with SAP’s unparalleled enterprise data assets offers a distinctive opportunity to explore an uncharted domain within AI research. As a vital part of this organization, our team is dedicated to pioneering transformative advancements in high-value domains, including Foundation Models for structured data and the development of comprehensive grounding for widespread SAP applications through Knowledge Graphs.

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Bring out your best

SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.  

We win with inclusion

SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability.

SAP believes the value of pay transparency contributes towards an honest and supportive culture and is a significant step toward demonstrating SAP’s commitment to pay equity. SAP provides the hourly base salary rate range applicable for the posted role. The targeted range for this position is 26.00 - 53.00. The actual amount to be offered to the successful candidates will be within that range, dependent upon the key aspects of each case which may include education, skills, experience, scope of the role, location, etc. as determined through the selection process. SAP offers limited benefits for employees hired into hourly or like roles subject to appliable plan/policy terms. A summary of benefits and eligibility requirements can be found by clicking this link:  www.SAPNorthAmericaBenefits.com.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 450728  | Work Area: Software-Research  | Expected Travel: 0 - 10%  | Career Status: Student  | Employment Type: Limited Full Time   | Additional Locations:  #LI-Hybrid