SAP Announces Emphasis on Cloud, AI in SAP PartnerEdge Program Update

SAP has announced that its SAP PartnerEdge program is now 100% focused on the cloud, among other changes for 2025. In a press release, SAP said the move is “designed to help recognize and elevate partners that are ready to support customers in the cloud-powered AI economy.”

SAP’s PartnerEdge program offers companies models through which they can build, sell, service, and run their solutions, as well as gain certifications for their tools. SAP’s partner ecosystem boasts more than 25,000 unique vendors, as well as many more SAP PartnerEdge open ecosystem members.

In the announcement, SAP indicated that partner organizations that mirror its strategic focus on the cloud would be incentivized as part of an effort to “differentiate partners that are fully aligned with SAP’s direction.” SAPinsider has written previously how cloud revenue made up an increasing portion of SAP’s revenue – up to 50% in Q2 of 2024 and the company likely expects the trend to continue.

SAP wrote that this is an effort to produce long-term customer value, as well as noting that companies with deep expertise and specialization would play an integral part in determining what level of partnership a company can achieve.

AI Emphasis

In the same announcement, SAP also said it wants to motivate its partners to make AI usage more attainable throughout their offerings. Whether that comes in the form of no-code tools or customization, SAP wants partners to utilize their embedded AI portfolio to give users access to more advanced capabilities.

This focus on the cloud and AI comes on the heels of increasing demand for these services, as customers see the cloud as essential for transformation and AI. SAP has shown commitment to help customers make the move to the cloud, offering incentives and migration programs for existing customers, as well as providing support from SAP experts. It makes sense that this emphasis has extended to partners as well.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Prepare for a cloud-based future. Under CEO Christian Klein, SAP has shown a keen emphasis on maximizing cloud adoption. It appears that all of SAP’s ongoing innovation focus will be centered within the cloud. SAP organizations that do not move to the cloud are risking adding significant costs and complexity to their operations, in addition to missing out on these innovations.

Understand which partners are operating in the cloud. SAPinsider should take the time to understand which of their solutions providers provide cloud-based services. Those that do not follow SAP’s lead in adopting a cloud-first methodology risk being de-prioritized among SAP partners, which may negatively impact integrations.

Prepare your data for embedded AI. The cloud-first agenda from SAP goes hand-in-hand with its focus on delivering AI innovations to its users. The company sees the cloud’s speed and agility as essential to customers being able to use AI to accelerate essential business functions and drive innovation. Yet this is not the only keep aspect – companies should also ensure that they have accurate, cleansed, and harmonized datasets that they can use to train AI models. Pairing quality data management strategies with the power of AI and the cloud can help companies accelerate transformation and growth.