SAP and Intel collaborating on blockchain supply solutions
Intel and SAP are partnering with other companies such as Flex, HPE, and UPS in creating a blockchain-based supply chain management proof-of-concept based on SAP Global Track and Trace (also referred to as International Trade based on the SAP Co-Innovation Program).
The solution is targeted at optimizing logistics, efficiency and service delivery in freight, fleet and fulfillment management across different networks of global and domestic transportation. The system will provide real-time insights to customers regarding the availability of materials and products across the supply chain. This means they will be able to control better their inventories and manage costs.
SAP's blockchain track and trace platform were launched as a Blockchain as a Service three months ago. With it, customers can integrate enterprise and blockchain data in a pay-as-you-go model. The solution consists of three main areas according to elaboration by SAP yesterday. The first part will allow integration with carriers such that any company using the network can have visibility on the location and condition of goods throughout the supply chain. The second is the benchmarking studies being carried out by the two main partners in an attempt to increase throughput.
They are performing benchmark studies to analyze blockchain metrics such as transactions per second to identify how they can optimize network bottlenecks using more powerful technologies. This will help deal with problems of current blockchains namely latency and issues related to slow throughput. The benchmark will help them to identify what software and/or hardware they can use to optimize performance and efficiency.
They are working to define the parameters and therefore create technical standards for individual blockchain use cases. This is the third of the three parts of the blockchain initiative.
SAP's recently unveiled SAP HANA blockchain adapter integrates with the new SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain and enables existing customers of SAP to easily utilize and build on blockchain data in HANA using SQL interface and standard SQL commands both on-premise or in the cloud.
Intel, in addition to offering Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors and optimization technologies such as Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 512 for improved workload performance in high computing environments and use cases, it also provides additional security for blockchain source code and data with Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX). The latter delivers enhanced privacy and security in order to protect blockchain transactions and to help improve throughput and consensus efficiency.
