SAP is making significant strides in its sovereignty initiatives with the introduction of the EU AI Cloud, a strategic framework designed to consolidate previous efforts and offer a unified approach. This innovative setup aims to provide European organizations with enhanced choice and greater control over their AI and cloud service deployments. Whether an organization prefers to utilize SAP’s own secure data centers, engage with trusted European providers, or manage everything on-site, the EU AI Cloud is meticulously built to accommodate these diverse needs, ensuring that data remains within the European region and adheres strictly to all relevant EU regulations.

A core objective of this initiative is to strengthen AI sovereignty across Europe. In pursuit of this, SAP is actively collaborating with Cohere to deliver advanced agent-style and multimodal AI tools to its customers through Cohere North. These cutting-edge models will be made accessible via the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), offering industries with stringent data residency requirements a robust pathway to seamlessly integrate production-ready AI into their daily operations. Both SAP and Cohere emphasize that this partnership is geared towards enabling enterprises to gain superior insights, enhance decision-making processes, and automate complex tasks, all without compromising control over compliance or performance. Cohere's team has underscored that their joint effort with SAP is specifically designed to ensure that advanced AI remains accessible to organizations that are legally or operationally unable to move their data outside of Europe.

The development of the EU AI Cloud is a collaborative endeavor, supported by a diverse array of European and global partners. Models and applications from leading AI innovators such as Cohere, Mistral AI, and OpenAI are integrated directly into SAP BTP. This integration provides customers with a clear and streamlined path to build, deploy, and scale their AI applications effectively. Organizations have the flexibility to access partner tools as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), or Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), and crucially, they can select where these services run—either on SAP's dedicated infrastructure or on the platforms of approved European partners. The overarching goal is to equip enterprises and public sector entities with access to modern AI tools while rigorously upholding European standards for security, data protection, and overall sovereignty.

Deployment choices are intrinsically linked to varying security needs, and the EU AI Cloud leverages SAP Sovereign Cloud to offer customers precise control across the entire technology stack, from infrastructure to applications. AI models within this framework operate on SAP’s cloud infrastructure and SAP BTP within European data centers, thereby maintaining operational independence from US hyperscalers. Several distinct deployment options are available: Firstly, SAP Sovereign Cloud on SAP Cloud Infrastructure (EU) utilizes SAP’s IaaS, which is built on open-source tools and runs within SAP’s extensive European data center network. This ensures that data remains strictly within the EU, facilitating compliance with regional data protection regulations. Secondly, the SAP Sovereign Cloud On-Site Infrastructure option allows the infrastructure to be managed by SAP but housed directly within a customer’s chosen data center. This setup offers the highest possible level of control over data, operations, and legal requirements, while still providing seamless access to SAP’s robust cloud architecture. Furthermore, while some customers may continue to run SAP commercial SaaS on global cloud providers, they have the option to incorporate additional sovereignty features tailored to specific regional needs. A notable example is Delos Cloud, a sovereign cloud service specifically developed for the public sector in Germany. This service is designed to support local regulatory frameworks and assist government organizations in modernizing their digital systems securely.

In essence, the EU AI Cloud empowers European organizations with unparalleled choice in how they manage their AI and cloud workloads, all while retaining unwavering control over their data. The strategic combination of diverse deployment options, integrated partner models, and a foundational sovereign design is meticulously crafted to support companies facing stringent regulations concerning privacy, data storage, and operational oversight. For enterprises and public bodies that require AI systems built inherently around local requirements, SAP’s comprehensive approach offers a viable and secure means to leverage advanced technological tools without relinquishing the critical safeguards upon which they rely.