This week’s SAS Explore conference held in Las Vegas is drawing attention to the future of analytics, data science and artificial intelligence.

Today’s keynote session was marked by presentations that included Bryan Harris, executive vice president and chief technology officer of SAS Institute Inc., and Udo Sglavo, VP of advanced analytics research and development at SAS. Both speakers laid out SAS’ vision, focusing on how the company is adapting to current trends and what new offerings they are introducing to the market.

One striking aspect of the keynote was its grounded approach to the hype surrounding AI, according to theCUBE industry analysts Dave Vellante and John Furrier.

“They made fun of generative AI as a hype cycle but brought out the goods when it came to the demos,” Furrier said. “I thought it was an excellent keynote. I like the practical vibe. Short term it’s hyped up; long term it’s the real deal.”

During an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, Furrier and Vellante kicked off coverage of SAS Explore with insights into SAS’ strategic announcements, its marketing positioning, the company’s technology transition and how AI and democratization comes into play. (* Disclosure below.)

The new data landscape

SAS unveiled two new products during its keynote, both aimed at creating a fertile ground for data development across enterprises: Viya Workbench and App Factory. Workbench is intended for developers and data scientists, while App Factory is geared toward developers, analysts and other business users.

This dual focus confirms “the rise of the data developer is here. That means software development practices will emerge and be democratized, not just data science,” according to Furrier.

The industry — SAS’ new products included — is increasingly moving toward no-code, low-code and what they aptly described as “yes-code” solutions. These are designed to be comprehensive platforms to guide companies from having “a billion points of data to a point of view,” according to SAS’ corporate tagline.

Another significant focus of the keynote was the company’s long history in AI and analytics. With nearly 50 years under its belt, SAS has the domain expertise to be a leader in highly specialized markets like fintech, healthcare and manufacturing, according to Vellante.

“They’ve got really deep industry presence. So, that domain expertise will serve them well,” he said.

What sets SAS apart is its emphasis on governed AI and ethical use of data, according to theCUBE analysts.

“One of the big areas of emphasis for a company like SAS is really to have that governed AI, that governed LLM,” Vellante said. “These guys … spent a lot of time, I would say at least half of the keynote, demoing real product.”

Future prospects: Will SAS go public?

It’s worth mentioning that SAS is undergoing a pivotal transformation by transitioning from on-prem solutions to cloud-native platforms via its fastest-growing segment, Viya. This is a move many legacy companies struggle with, but SAS has the advantage of being a privately-held, $3.2 billion company. This provides them a bit more flexibility as they don’t operate on a “90-day shot clock,” a reference to the quarterly pressure publicly held companies face, according to Vellante and Furrier.

While there is anticipation around the possibility of SAS going public in 2024, theCUBE analysts believe the real test will be in how well SAS can execute its vision and attract an ecosystem around it.

As Furrier puts it, “AI is a tailwind and an accelerant for SAS. Even though they’ve got some legacy history with their customer base, it absolutely changes the game of the product capabilities.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of SAS Explore:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the SAS Explore event. Neither SAS Institute Inc., the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE