SAS Boosts GenAI Capabilities With ‘Synthetic Data’ Technology Acquisition

The data analytics and AI software giant is buying the intellectual property assets of synthetic data pioneer Hazy, SAS said Tuesday.

Data analytics and AI software developer SAS is boosting its capabilities in the generative AI space with the acquisition of the principal software assets of Hazy, a pioneer in synthetic data technology.

The move will enhance SAS’ data and AI technology portfolio, providing customers with “critical and timely” synthetic data generation capabilities as they step their use of AI.

"Our acquisition of Hazy's IP represents a pivotal step in our commitment to innovation in the next generation of data management and AI," said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight, in a statement. "Hazy is a pioneer in bringing synthetic data to market as a viable enterprise product, and analysts rank it among the top software providers in its category.

[Related: SAS Continues Distribution Offensive With Expanded Carahsoft Alliance]

“By integrating their technology, we can offer our customers unparalleled opportunities to harness data safely and effectively, enabling them to experiment and model scenarios that were previously out of reach and gain a competitive advantage,” Goodnight said.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed and additional information about the future of London-based Hazy was not provided. Hazy was founded in January 2017 and raised $3.5 million in seed funding in January 2020.

Synthetic data technology is used to help overcome issues with data availability, access or quality. It’s regarded as key for companies implementing AI systems, especially in industries with strict data privacy and governance regulations, according to Kathy Lange, AI software research director at IDC, who was quoted in the SAS announcement.

Synthetic data, which mirrors the statistical patterns of real data without exposing private, identifiable or restricted information, mitigates risks associated with real data and enhances the scope of data available for analytics and AI, according to SAS. Such augmentation leads to robust, reliable results and innovative solutions for data scientists who can shape and balance data sets more effectively.

The announcement builds on the debut earlier this year of SAS Data Maker, software that generates synthetic data that statistically represents original data sets without compromising privacy while also simplifying processes and saving resources, according to SAS.

SAS, headquartered in Cary, N.C., plans to integrate the Hazy technology into SAS Data Maker with an initial preview expected in early 2025, the company said. There are also “future integration opportunities” with SAS Viya, the company’s flagship analytics and AI platform.

In the announcement SAS CTO Bryan Harris cited analyst forecasts that by 2026 75 percent of all businesses will be using AI to generate synthetic customer data, up from less than 5 percent in 2023.

“With synthetic data, customers can innovate and research more deeply, accessing data that was previously out of reach due to availability, access or quality issues,” Harris said.