Feiyu Xu, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor
Dr. Feiyu Xu, a renowned figure in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has built an impressive career spanning various prominent tech and energy companies. Currently, she serves as a Non-Executive Director (NED) at the board of Zühlke AG, a role that suggests her involvement in AI-related roles within the company.
Before joining SAP in an unspecified capacity, Dr. Xu held the position of Head of the AI Lab at Lenovo Research from March 2017 to March 2020. During her tenure, she designed and led Lenovo's overall AI technology strategy, making significant contributions to the company's AI development.
Prior to Lenovo, Dr. Xu was a Principal Researcher at the German Research Center for AI (DFKI), where she likely honed her skills in AI research and development. Her work at DFKI led to the establishment of Yocoy Technologies GmbH, a DFKI spin-off company, for which she served as the general manager.
Dr. Xu's achievements in the field of AI were recognised early on when she won a Google Focused Research Award in 2013 for her contribution in the field of natural language processing. This award highlighted her innovative work and dedication to advancing AI technology.
In addition to her work in the tech industry, Dr. Xu is actively involved in various events and forums. She is the chairwoman of the Asia Berlin Forum eV and a member of the advisory board of Global Neighbours GmbH/eV. These roles demonstrate her influence in the AI community and her commitment to fostering connections and collaborations.
Dr. Xu's academic background is equally impressive. She received a MSc in Computational Linguistics at Saarland University in 1998 and went on to earn a PhD in Computational Linguistics in 2007. Her education has undoubtedly played a significant role in her success in the field of AI.
More recently, Dr. Xu served as Global Head of AI at SAP SE from 2020 to 2023 and defined and orchestrated the AI strategy at the company. In March 2024, she took on the role of Chief Product Officer at Nyonic, an AI start-up that she co-founded.
As of 20 February 2025, Dr. Xu joined the Supervisory Board of Siemens Energy AG, and on 1 July 2025, she became a Member of the Supervisory Board of F.A.Z. GmbH. She also serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of an unspecified public company, further demonstrating her wide-ranging influence in the tech industry.
Dr. Feiyu Xu's contributions to the field of AI are undeniable, and her continued involvement in various tech and energy companies, as well as her commitment to education and community engagement, ensure that she will continue to shape the future of AI technology.
Dr. Feiyu Xu's involvement in AI-related roles is evident as she designed and led Lenovo's overall AI technology strategy, and she also defined and orchestrated the AI strategy at SAP SE. Additionally, her current role as a Non-Executive Director at Zühlke AG may also involve artificial-intelligence applications within the company.
