2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant AI Reality Check: Supply Chain Planning Vendors Exposed
Executive Summary
After analyzing all 20 vendors in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions, RS Advisory finds a consistent pattern: sophisticated mathematical optimization and statistical forecasting rebranded as revolutionary artificial intelligence. Even the highest-scoring vendors represent evolutionary improvements to existing technology rather than breakthrough AI capabilities.Key Finding: No vendor in the Magic Quadrant demonstrates genuine artificial intelligence. AI scores range from 2-6 out of 10, with most vendors scoring 2-3, indicating basic automation rebranded as AI.
Leaders Quadrant: The AI Marketing Champions
Blue Yonder - Maximum AI Marketing, Execution Issues
AI Claims:
"Cognitive Planning platform" with "decision automation" and "strong vision for GenAI"
Gartner Reality Check:
Despite aggressive AI marketing, Gartner notes "below-average feedback in customer service and support" and "strategy for solution upgrades is below average." Their AI appears to be sophisticated workflow automation.
Highest AI capabilities but significant execution challenges
Kinaxis - The Concurrent Planning Master
AI Claims:
"AI-driven automation" across "data cleansing, scenario and workflow generation, and parameter tuning"
Gartner Reality Check:
Strong in "planning automation" but faces "customer sentiment" issues with "average satisfaction." Their AI is primarily automated parameter selection between optimization algorithms - sophisticated but not revolutionary.
11-time Leader with advanced optimization, overstated AI claims
Oracle - The Vision-Execution Gap
AI Claims:
"Strong vision for digital and AI" with "broad range of techniques including deep learning, RPA, NLP and GenAI"
Gartner Reality Check:
While Oracle has a strong AI vision, Gartner identifies major weaknesses in "user experience" and "portfolio complexity" with "varying look and feel across applications." This suggests AI is more marketing than integrated capability.
Strong AI vision undermined by poor execution integration
RELEX Solutions - The Retail Algorithm Specialist
AI Claims:
"Moving platform toward closed loop driven by algorithmic intelligence and AI-enabled capabilities"
Gartner Reality Check:
Strong in "product strategy" and "modeling of constraints" but weak in "uncertainty management." Represents sophisticated algorithmic capabilities with some genuine AI elements, particularly in retail optimization.
Most honest AI positioning among Leaders
o9 Solutions & OMP - The Vision-Reality Gap
Analysis:
Both vendors focus on "digital supply chain twin" concepts and traditional optimization. o9 Solutions shows "below-average new customer acquisition" and "lower customer stickiness," while OMP excels in process manufacturing but lacks broader AI implementation.
Strong optimization platforms with limited AI beyond conceptual frameworks
Challengers Quadrant: Promise vs. Performance
SAP IBP - The Integration Play
Gartner Assessment:
Strong "technical support" and "industry coverage" but "vision for UX is below average" and "vision for using GenAI through assistants and chatbots is comparatively weaker." Shows disconnect between AI claims and user experience.
Some legitimate ML integration but poor UX implementation
Logility - The AI Marketing Master
Gartner Assessment:
Confirms "vision for digital and AI" is "stronger than other vendors" but notes "uncertainty management is lower than average." Facing acquisition by Aptean. Represents maximum AI marketing with minimal genuine capability - consistent with our previous analysis.
Aggressive AI marketing, minimal demonstrable capability
Anaplan, Arkieva, John Galt - Traditional Players
Common Pattern:
All three show "limited vision for AI-based autonomous planning" or "narrow vision for natural-language technologies and GenAI." They represent traditional planning platforms with future AI aspirations rather than current capabilities.
Planning platforms with AI roadmap promises, limited current implementation
Visionaries & Niche Players: Minimal AI Implementation
Consistent Patterns Across 13 Remaining Vendors
- Dassault Systèmes & ICRON (Visionaries): Engineering focus with limited supply chain AI - "vision for digital and AI shows limited use of broader techniques"
- Manhattan Associates: "Narrow vision for range of analytics offered" - focuses on distribution with minimal AI
- Board International: "Limited ML capabilities, leans heavily on Microsoft Azure" - dependency on external AI services
- Slimstock: "Lacks stronger vision for optimization, reinforcement learning and probabilistic planning"
- QAD: "Limited vision for leveraging big data and reinforcement learning"
Average AI Score for Visionaries & Niche Players: 2-3/10
The Great AI Washing Exposed
Low AI Scores (2-3/10)
13 vendors including:
- Logility
- John Galt Solutions
- Most Niche Players
- Both Visionaries
Basic automation rebranded as AI
Medium AI Scores (4-5/10)
6 vendors including:
- Kinaxis
- Oracle
- SAP IBP
- RELEX Solutions
Advanced optimization with some ML elements
Highest AI Score (6/10)
1 vendor:
- Blue Yonder
Most sophisticated AI marketing with some legitimate capabilities but execution issues
Critical Market Insights
Systemic Issues Revealed by Gartner
- Customer Experience Problems: Multiple "Leaders" show satisfaction issues despite AI claims
- Implementation Challenges: Persistent deployment difficulties across "AI-powered" platforms
- Upgrade Strategy Issues: Many vendors struggle with software updates and customer transitions
- Pricing Transparency: AI capabilities often come with complex, opaque pricing models
The RS Advisory Perspective: Why This Matters
Having analyzed supply chain software since 1999, this Magic Quadrant analysis confirms what we've observed across retail and enterprise vendors: the industry has embraced AI marketing more enthusiastically than AI implementation.
Common AI Patterns Across All Vendors
- Algorithmic Selection Automation - "AI" that chooses between traditional optimization methods
- Statistical Forecasting Enhancement - Machine learning applied to improve existing forecasting
- Workflow Automation - Process orchestration and exception handling branded as "intelligent agents"
- Natural Language Interfaces - Chatbots and conversational UIs presented as AI breakthroughs
- Future AI Promises - Roadmap commitments without current demonstrable capability
Strategic Recommendations
For Supply Chain Technology Leaders
- Focus on Business Outcomes: Evaluate vendors based on problem-solving capability, not AI buzzwords
- Demand Technical Specificity: Ask for detailed algorithm descriptions and measurable learning capabilities
- Test Learning Claims: Can the system actually adapt to your specific business context beyond parameter tuning?
- Consider the RS Advisory Alternative: Quantum-inspired business modeling that addresses fundamental supply chain complexity without AI hype
Conclusion: The Emperor's New AI
The 2025 Magic Quadrant analysis reveals that despite aggressive AI marketing across 20 vendors, no company demonstrates revolutionary artificial intelligence capabilities. Even Blue Yonder, with the highest AI score of 6/10, faces significant execution challenges that undermine their AI claims.
The supply chain software industry's AI transformation mirrors previous technology adoption cycles we've documented - sophisticated marketing wrapped around incremental improvements to existing optimization and statistical forecasting capabilities.
Supply chain leaders should recognize that the most intelligent solution may not involve artificial intelligence at all. Sometimes the smartest approach is designing systems that embrace complexity rather than automating legacy processes with AI branding.
The RS Advisory Promise
After 25 years of watching the same optimization algorithms get rebranded as "advanced analytics," then "machine learning," and now "AI," we offer something different: honest assessment of what actually works, quantum-inspired approaches that transcend traditional limitations, and strategic guidance based on business outcomes rather than technology marketing cycles.
About This Analysis: Based on comprehensive review of the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions, combined with 25 years of supply chain technology expertise and independent vendor analysis. AI scores represent demonstrable learning and adaptation capabilities, not marketing claims or future roadmap promises.