SAP loosens ERP maintenance and support rules

Dive Brief: 

• The European Commission accepted SAP’s commitment to implement several changes to its aftermarket support services for on-premises ERP software, the executive arm of the European Union said Wednesday. The commission launched a formal investigation into SAP in September due to concerns that the company’s business practices restricted competition in the maintenance and services market. 
• SAP will allow customers to choose support services providers outside of SAP for each part of its ERP system. The ERP giant will also provide clarity to customers on contractual provisions within original licensing terms and let customers terminate licenses — and the maintenance and support services fees — in specific scenarios. The commitments will remain in force globally for 10 years.  
• “Today’s decision gives customers using SAP’s popular on-premises business management software more freedom to choose maintenance and support services without unfair restrictions that raised their costs and stifled competition,” Teresa Ribera, EVP for clean, just and competitive transition at the commission, said in the Wednesday announcement. 

Dive Insight: 

While SAP’s policy changes apply specifically to on-premises ERP maintenance and support, the vendor said its commitments also add clarity and a clear framework for enterprises surging toward AI-enabled environments. 

In a public statement, SAP said it welcomed the commission’s decision and will remain committed to customer choice and open competition. The policy commitments “provide greater clarity, choice and safeguards for customers managing complex on-premise environments, while supporting flexible IT strategies aligned with business priorities,” according to the statement. 

“The decision relates solely to on-premise maintenance policies and does not concern SAP’s cloud offerings,” the statement said. “However, the added clarity and flexibility support customers as they modernize toward an AI-enabled enterprise at their own pace.” 

Even as it responds to shifting regulatory requirements, SAP has been moving full steam ahead on its AI investments. Business AI has become the core of SAP’s strategy, CEO Christian Klein told investors during the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call in April. 

The provider launched its SAP Business AI Platform in May, uniting its AI offerings, data cloud services and business technology for enterprises deploying AI. The company also introduced SAP Autonomous Suite to sit on top of the platform, plugging in AI agents to existing SAP business applications to automate workflows. 

“There is no doubt that AI will redefine how companies will run in the future,” Klein said during the call. 

As AI adoption ramps up, executives are beginning to worry about being locked into AI systems. More than 7 in 10 respondents to a survey conducted by IBM’s Institute for Business Value said it would be difficult to switch from their primary AI provider. 

Lock-in concerns are catching regulators’ attention. The European Commission wants to designate Microsoft and Amazon as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act for their cloud products, the organization said in a preliminary conclusion. Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Microsoft’s business software ecosystem due to competition concerns.