Premium Plus Has Been Deprecated Since June 2025: What Changed for SAP RISE Customers

Q: What is SAP Cloud ERP Private?

SAP Cloud ERP Private is the new name for the former RISE Premium tier. According to SAP Licensing Experts (Q1 2026), the new bundle contains nearly twice as many SKUs as the old RISE Premium, but SAP Datasphere and embedded AI Units are no longer included as standard.

Premium Plus was the top tier in RISE contracts, bundling extensive embedded AI features, until June 2025. Since then, packaging works differently. What has specifically changed, what existing customers should check, and which governance moments the next renewal brings.

What Premium Plus Was (Until June 2025)

Anyone holding a RISE contract was familiar with the tier structure: Standard, Premium, and at the top, Premium Plus. The latter had been introduced in late 2023 to address the most demanding RISE customers, particularly those who wanted SAP Business AI included in their subscription.

The price premium was substantial. In return, Premium Plus included components that were not available in the other tiers:

Joule as an interactive AI assistant, embedded directly in the RISE subscription
Extended Financial Management, meaning advanced functionality in finance beyond the standard scope
Advanced Cash Management and additions in Group Reporting
SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning as a planning and analytics tool

The combination of Joule and the expanded business modules made Premium Plus the preferred choice for customers who wanted to use SAP Business AI in production without negotiating separate add-ons. For many contract owners, the rule was clear: Joule comes with Premium Plus, not below it. That rule held until June 2025 and was then replaced with limited formal communication.

What Happened in June 2025

In June 2025, SAP completed a packaging change with deeper implications than the term "rebrand" suggests. According to Redress Compliance, who documented these changes in detail, Premium Plus was removed entirely (Source: Redress Compliance, "RISE with SAP Tiers and July 2025 Premium Packaging Changes").

Simultaneously, the Premium tier was renamed to SAP Cloud ERP Private. The overarching term "RISE with SAP" also shifted in meaning: it now describes the modernisation process as a whole rather than a specific product tier. What had previously functioned as a tier hierarchy is now structured differently.

For the new SAP Cloud ERP Private (formerly Premium), SAP revised the SKU bundle. According to SAP Licensing Experts (Q1 2026), the new bundle contains nearly twice as many SKUs as the old RISE Premium. Two prominent components are absent, however: SAP Datasphere is no longer included. And embedded AI Units are no longer a standard part of the bundle but are offered as a separate add-on.

CIO Magazine described this shift precisely: the rebrand conceals the underlying commercial changes (Source: CIO Magazine, "SAP's Rise rebrand conceals cost changes"). Reading the marketing communications suggests a consolidation. Opening the Order Form reveals structurally different conditions.

Joule has since become available in multiple tiers, but the consumption models have diversified: per-user-per-month, AI Units, and token-based pricing now coexist. The all-or-nothing principle of the old Premium Plus no longer applies.

What This Means for Existing Customers

Existing customers who held a RISE Premium Plus contract at the time of the packaging change are in a situation that warrants careful review. Here lies the first governance moment: the relevant question is not what SAP announced, but what the individual Order Form contains.

Two scenarios are observable in practice. In the first, customers who had Joule functionality through Premium Plus lost it during the repackaging without separate negotiation. The capabilities were removed from the included list and offered as an add-on. In the second scenario, customers retained these capabilities by negotiating them as a separate add-on, often under different terms than the original bundle.

The difference between the two scenarios rarely comes down to SAP's communication. It comes down to the timing of the renewal negotiation and whether the organisation had a complete picture of its contract structure at that point.

A further aspect concerns SAP Datasphere. Customers who had been actively using Datasphere and assumed it remained part of their subscription need to verify whether it continues under the repackaging as a separate contract element, or whether a new commercial arrangement is required.

The second governance moment is the assessment of the new SKU structure. Nearly twice as many SKUs as before sounds like expanded coverage. Whether that holds for a specific usage profile requires identifying the relevant SKUs and mapping them against actual consumption.

What the New Packaging Contains

SAP Cloud ERP Private is now the remaining premium tier in RISE. Its service profile is broader than the old RISE Premium but assembled differently from the old Premium Plus.

For the AI domain: embedded AI features in S/4HANA, including Predictive Accounting, Intelligent AP Automation, and Demand Sensing, remain available within the respective tiers. What has changed is the line between what is included and what requires an add-on for AI consumption.

Joule is no longer a function that comes or does not come with a tier. Joule is now a family of consumption models: a view-only access with limited sessions is typically included in Cloud ERP Private; for productive use, Joule Power User Seats or API consumption are required as add-ons (Source: SAP Licensing Experts, "SAP AI in RISE Contracts 2026").

LeanIX has been newly added to Cloud ERP Private as a strategic tool. This is relevant for customers who want to link Enterprise Architecture Management directly to their RISE operations.

The FUE classification for certain functions has also shifted into higher Professional User tiers. What this means for a specific user structure can only be determined by comparing the Order Form against the actual user distribution.

The third governance moment sits here: what counts is not the marketing promise of the new packaging, but what is explicitly listed in the Capability Exhibit of the Order Form.

Governance Moments in Renewal Preparation

Renewals for RISE customers who signed before June 2025 face a changed baseline. The governance moments begin not at the renewal date but twelve to eighteen months prior.

Anyone who held Premium Plus needs to start with an inventory: Which capabilities were actually used? Which were included but not activated? Which were removed from the subscription during the repackaging?

The fourth governance moment lies in the negotiating position. Organisations that have answered these questions before SAP opens the renewal conversation are negotiating on the basis of facts. Those who have not are working from SAP presentations.

Renewal packaging is typically communicated by SAP as an "optimisation" or "consolidation." The commercial substance sits in the Order Form, not in the accompanying communications. Capability lists, AI Unit allocations, overage clauses, and rollover rules are the points where it becomes clear whether a renewal represents a commercially neutral continuation or a structural change in contract conditions.

Checklist: 5 Places to Review in the Contract

For existing customers with a former Premium Plus contract, and for all RISE customers facing renewal in the next 24 months, the following five points in the Order Form merit careful attention:

1. Capability Exhibit: Are the included AI capabilities listed by name? Or does the Exhibit only reference "current product description"? A generic reference does not establish a contractual entitlement.

2. Joule specification: Which Joule consumption model applies? Are limits defined in sessions or AI Units? What happens in the event of an overage?

3. AI Unit allocation: Are embedded AI Units part of the bundle or purchased separately? What rate applies for additional AI Units, and does the clause reference a fixed price or "current pricing"?

4. Datasphere status: Is Datasphere still included or has it been removed from the bundle? If removed: is there an active separate subscription, or is there a coverage gap?

5. Overage mechanism: Does a hard stop or soft overage apply? At what threshold does a surcharge take effect, and what is the multiplier? Is an approval requirement defined for overages?

These five points form the basis for an informed renewal position. They cannot be read from SAP slide decks. They are available exclusively from the current Order Form.

FAQ

Does Premium Plus still apply to existing contracts signed before June 2025?

Premium Plus as a tier has been deprecated. Whether an existing contract continues under the original Premium Plus terms, or whether a transition to the new structure takes place at renewal, depends on the specific contract conditions and the renewal timing. Relying on existing wording without reviewing the current Order Form introduces gaps in planning.

I had Joule through Premium Plus. Do I still have it?

There is no universal answer. Some existing customers retained Joule through the repackaging; others renegotiated it as an add-on or lost access. The only reliable answer comes from the current Order Form and a comparison with the original contract.

Is it worth switching to a standalone Business AI subscription bundle rather than the RISE bundle?

Commercial efficiency depends on the overall portfolio. Standalone BTP is generally the least favourable model. The RISE or Cloud ERP Private bundle tends to be the most commercially advantageous at relevant volumes, as AI Units are priced at a subsidy within the bundle. The decision can only be made on the basis of comparing actual consumption structures.

Further background on SAP Business AI in the RISE contract is available in the Pillar 2 Hub. How Business AI is structured in the RISE contract and where the aggregation trap sits is covered in Cluster 5: Business AI in the RISE Contract. What this means for ongoing contract governance across all SAP product types is explored in Pillar 1: The Auto-Renewal Trap in SAP RISE.

Author: Bernhard Mändle is Managing Consultant at FinOptory. FinOptory governs SAP contracts after signature, across the full term and all SAP product types.