SAP Joule for Developers as a Side-by-Side ABAP AI Service Offering for Lower Releases of SAP Cloud ERP Private (SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition)

Joule speaks ABAP, and now it speaks to more systems than ever before.

SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities have already created strong interest across the SAP ecosystem. From customers to partners, one message has been consistent, make these powerful developer capabilities available for lower SAP S/4HANA releases as well.

The feedback was clear, and SAP has delivered.

Joule for Developers is now being extended to SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud 2021 and higher, covering systems on SAP_BASIS 756 and above. This means organizations running earlier private cloud releases can now start benefiting from AI-assisted ABAP development sooner, without waiting for their next major upgrade cycle.

Why side by side architecture?

The introduction of the new ABAP AI side-by-side architecture marks a strategic step toward making AI capabilities more accessible, scalable, and future-ready across diverse SAP landscapes. By decoupling AI services from release dependencies, SAP can more rapidly deliver new capabilities powered by both SAP-provided ABAP AI models and leading third-party LLM providers.

One of the key advantages is simplified adoption. Customers can now enable ABAP AI capabilities through a more streamlined onboarding process using SAP for Me and Central Business Configuration, reducing setup effort while ensuring consistent lifecycle management across environments.

Another major benefit is release-independent access. Instead of being tightly coupled to specific SAP S/4HANA release cycles, customers can consume ABAP AI services side by side with their existing systems. This enables even lower-release Private Edition customers to leverage the latest AI innovations without waiting for a system upgrade.

In short, the side-by-side model is not just an architecture shift, it is an innovation enabler, helping customers adopt ABAP AI faster, more flexibly, and with greater future readiness.

Commercial model & AI Units

SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities are embedded in the Joule Premium package and offered with separate licenses for customers and partners. Pricing follows a consumption-based model, meaning you only pay for actual usage. Customers and partners purchase AI Units and activate the required packages via SAP for Me. Authorization for developer access is managed through Cloud Identity Services, while AI requests are executed and metered in the ABAP AI Hub 2.0 on SAP BTP. 

What is an SAP AI Unit?

SAP AI Units are a form of virtual currency that customers purchase to activate and use premium AI capabilities within SAP Cloud Services. They are consumption-based credits that can be used flexibly across multiple SAP solutions and are not tied to a specific product or line of business. This allows customers to draw from a central pool of AI Units as they use AI-powered features across their SAP landscape. AI Units are purchased annually and expire after 12 months if not used.Customers can track their usage and remaining balance in real time via SAP for Me.

How do I know how many units I should purchase?

SAP provides guidance and estimation tools to help determine the right amount of AI Units. Your SAP Account Executive or Partner can support you in defining the appropriate quantity and help model different usage scenarios. 

How to Purchase the License and activate the packages? 

A.    For Customers

Purchase AI Units using SKU 8019164 via SAP for Me to begin the Premium AI activation process.

B.    For partners

Place the order for cloud test, demo, and development for SAP AI Unit (8019670).  

Configuring the SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI Capabilities for Side-by-Side Use (Administrators)

Prerequisites

You are an administrator with full access to SAP for Me.

Procedure

1. Open SAP for Me and navigate to Portfolio & Products.
   

    

2. Select the tab My Product Packages and choose Technology Platform AI Agents and Features.
   
3. Select the tab Applications and choose the application SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities.
   
4. Now you can Start Provisioning.
1. Enter the Solution Details.
   
2. Select a Cloud Identity Services system.
   
3. Select your region.
   
4. Choose a Formation Name (the name is mandatory but has no further technical relevance).
   
5. Review and finish the setup. The provision process might take few moments to complete. The new solution will achieve the Ready status when all tenants are successfully provisioned and integrations are fully established. Go to the resources tab to view the status of the generated resources.
5. Activate the feature in SAP Central Business Configuration as described here.
6. Assign named users through SAP Cloud Identity Services (IAS) to enable access for authorized users.
7. In the tab Resources you will find a new tenant providing its Main URL (which will lead to the UI of the application).

    

8. Provide that URL to the developers so they can configure SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities for side-by-side use in ABAP development tools for Eclipse.

Configuring the SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI Capabilities in ABAP System for Side-by-Side Use (For Developers)

Prerequisites

Your SAP administrator provides you a URL that refers to the SAP BTP.

Configure the SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities for Specific ABAP Projects

To use the latest SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities in specific ABAP projects in your ADT client.

1. In the Project Explorer, select the relevant ABAP project and Choose Properties from the context menu
   
2. Select ABAP Development Joule .To make the input available, select the Enable project-specific settings checkbox.
   
3. Beneath the Use Joule side-by-side radio button, enter the URL to the subscription of the central BTP service on the SAP BTP.
   Optional: Choose the Check Connection button to control if the connection works.
   
4. Confirm with Apply.
5. You can now use the SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities side-by-side in the selected ABAP project.
   

Availability of SAP Joule for Developers Capabilities Across SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition Releases

More details can be found here:

1. Sapphire 2026: GA announcement for agentic ABAP AI (Sonja Lienard)
2. Sapphire 2026: ABAP AI – Chapter 3: We go agentic! (Alexander Rother)
3. How to purchase Agentic ABAP AI
4. VS Code: ABAP development tools for Visual Studio Code is now available on the VS Code marketplace! 
5. FAQ document for frequent questions
6. Public Roadmap: SAP Help / SAP Roadmap Explorer
7. Help & Guides
   1. Free Promo only (not yet AI Units): Step-by-step guide how to activate free promo for SAP Joule for …
   2. Free Promo only (not yet AI Units): Joule for Developers (J4D) for S/4HANA Public Cloud Setup Guide
   3. SAP ABAP AI Discovery Center
   4. SAP BTP Discovery Center (Free Tier Services)
   5. Custom code migration to SAP S/4HANA powered by SAP Joule for Developers, ABAP AI capabilities
   6. YouTube playlist for Joule for Developers (J4D)
   7. Joule for Developers Help (J4D)
   8. Build SAP Fiori Apps with ABAP Cloud and SAP Joule for developers (RAP120) 
   9. ADT Eclipse AI Capabilities Help
   10. ABAP AI SDK Help
   11. ABAP-1 Help

More high-level insights about Joule for Developers/ABAP AI and ABAP platform can be found here .

Co-Authors – @karl_kessler @niloofar_naseri