TLDR: SAP has partnered with OpenAI and Microsoft to introduce a suite of AI tools, including ChatGPT, to Germany’s public sector starting in 2026. This initiative, dubbed ‘OpenAI for Germany,’ aims to enhance digital sovereignty, improve public services, and ensure secure and responsible AI adoption, backed by SAP’s Delos Cloud running on Microsoft Azure. SAP also announced a separate sovereign cloud collaboration with AWS.
SAP, in collaboration with OpenAI and Microsoft, is set to roll out a comprehensive suite of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including ChatGPT, to Germany’s public sector. This significant initiative, termed ‘OpenAI for Germany,’ is slated to commence in 2026.
The primary objective of this partnership is to empower millions of public sector employees across German government, administrations, and research institutions with AI capabilities. The focus is on ensuring the safe, responsible, and compliant use of AI, adhering to stringent data sovereignty, security, and legal standards. This strategic move is designed to bolster Germany’s digital sovereignty, streamline workflows, facilitate the development of customized public sector applications, and seamlessly integrate AI agents into existing systems.
The underlying infrastructure for these services will be provided by SAP’s subsidiary, Delos Cloud, which operates on Microsoft Azure. Delos Cloud is specifically designed to store data locally, thereby complying with European data protection regulations.
In a demonstration of its commitment, SAP plans to significantly expand Delos Cloud’s existing infrastructure within Germany, allocating 4,000 GPUs for AI workloads. The company also intends to further invest in applied AI capabilities across the country, including forging co-location agreements with other firms. This partnership is part of SAP’s broader commitment to invest over €20 billion towards strengthening Europe’s digital sovereignty.
The ‘OpenAI for Germany’ plan directly supports the German government’s national AI ambitions, which target a substantial increase in AI-driven value creation, aiming for up to 10% of the country’s GDP by 2030.
Christian Klein, CEO of SAP, emphasized the strategic importance of these collaborations, stating that they ‘pave the way for AI solutions that are built in Germany, for Germany.’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman views this agreement as a potential global model, highlighting its role in extending AI’s potential to the public sector to enhance services ‘in line with German values of trust and safety.’ German Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger welcomed the announcement, calling ‘SAP’s AI offensive and cooperation with international partners a good signal for Germany as a digital location and underlines the importance of AI as a driver of innovation and our competitiveness.’
Notably, this German initiative differs from OpenAI’s Stargate infrastructure expansions in the UK and Norway, as it prioritizes compliance and delivery rather than direct capital investment or data center construction commitments from OpenAI.
In a parallel development, SAP also announced a separate sovereign cloud collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Under this agreement, SAP will make its relevant capabilities available on the AWS European sovereign cloud, which is supported by Amazon’s €7.8 billion investment. This aims to boost the availability of AI capabilities in highly regulated industries.
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The market reacted positively to these announcements, with SAP’s shares rising 2.2% to 231.25 in Frankfurt on Wednesday afternoon. Investors perceive these partnerships as a clear signal of SAP’s determination to embed itself deeply within Europe’s AI and sovereignty strategy. SAP has also built its credibility in the AI sector through investments in other AI innovators such as Aleph Alpha, Cohere, and Anthropic, thereby expanding its exposure to the broader AI ecosystem.
