SAP Venture Fund Makes Equity Investment in Red Hat, Inc.

Investment Accelerates Linux Success and the Open Source Movement

WALLDORF -

SAP AG (NYSE ADR: SAP), the world's leading provider of enterprise business software solutions, today announced an equity investment by the SAP Venture Fund in Red Hat, Inc. , the leading commercial-grade supplier of the Linux operating system. Linux is a stable, reliable and viable operating system developed according to the Open Source model that has matured to the point where it is ready to run mission-critical business applications.

"The SAP Venture Fund is designed to foster innovative technology developments that will have significant impact and benefits for SAP customers," said Howard Lau, executive vice president of the SAP Venture Fund. "Linux is becoming a significant force in the industry. We expect it to emerge as an attractive platform for enterprise computing, and Red Hat is a leading Linux distributor."

"Increasingly enterprise customers are looking for a Linux platform on which to run their enterprise resource planning applications," said Robert F. Young, co-founder and CEO of Red Hat Software. "We are pleased that SAP has selected Red Hat to support SAP and its customers." More than 10 million users currently run the Linux operating system. Linux currently runs on Intel X86, Compaq Alpha and Sun SPARC processors and will soon run on PowerPC and HP PA-RISC systems.

About SAP Venture Fund
The purpose of the SAP Venture Fund is to provide funding to companies with promising technologies that are expected to further the state of the art for enterprise computing. The funding is by definition a venture investment and does not represent a commitment of further business development initiatives by SAP.

About SAP
SAP, the world's largest enterprise software company, provides companies of all sizes with business solutions that deliver A Better Return on InformationSM. SAP products and services integrate an organization from financials and human resources to manufacturing and sales and distribution. This integration enables companies to optimize supply chains, strengthen customer relationships, and make more accurate management decisions. Founded in 1972, SAP today leverages a global network of people, processes and products to assure customer success. SAP is listed on several exchanges including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol SAP. The SAP World Wide Web site can be found at www.sap.com.

SAP, A Better Return on Information and all SAP product and service names herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. © Copyright 1999, SAP AG

For More Information:
Jennifer Aprile, Dan Ring or Paul Bugala
Schwartz Communications for Red Hat
Phone: (781) 684-0770
[email protected]
Howard Lau, SAP America, Inc., [email protected]
Harald Kuck, SAP AG, [email protected]

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat, the world's leading open source and Linux provider, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with satellite offices spanning the globe. The most trusted name in open source, CIOs and other senior-level IT executives have ranked Red Hat as the industry's most valued vendor for two consecutive years in the CIO Insight Magazine Vendor Value study. Red Hat is leading Linux and open source solutions into the mainstream by making high quality, low cost technology accessible. Red Hat provides operating system software along with middleware, applications and management solutions. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide and through top-tier partnerships. Red Hat's open source strategy offers customers a long term plan for building infrastructures that are based on and leverage open source technologies with focus on security and ease of management. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com

Common with UNIX footnote

LINUX is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

  • About Red Hat
  • Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.



  • Forward-Looking Statements
  • Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company’s growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.