SAP manages the infrastructure — you choose the cloud. Compare Azure, AWS, and GCP across architecture, BTP coverage, pricing leverage, and migration risk to make the right hyperscaler decision for your RISE journey.
4
Core RISE components bundled
15–28%
Infrastructure offset via EDP/CUD
20–35%
Avg. premium over market IaaS rates
3
Certified hyperscaler options
Architecture
RISE with SAP Stack Architecture
RISE with SAP bundles four core elements into a single subscription: S/4HANA Private Cloud, Enterprise Support, BTP credits, and managed infrastructure on the hyperscaler of your choice. SAP operates the infrastructure — your team consumes it as a service.
Each hyperscaler brings different strengths to a RISE deployment. Select a provider to see its architecture, advantages, and trade-offs — or compare all three side by side.
A
Microsoft Azure
SAP's default hyperscaler — broadest BTP coverage and EA alignment
Competitive IaaS base pricing — often 10–15% below Azure
Savings Plans applicable to RISE compute components
Potential 15–25% offset through well-structured EDP
🔗 Integration Points
Amazon Connect for SAP-integrated contact centers
AWS Lambda event-driven integration with S/4HANA
Amazon Bedrock for generative AI alongside SAP data
AWS DataSync and DMS — strongest exit/migration tooling
Amazon QuickSight for SAP analytics dashboards
Advantages
Largest SAP RISE installed base — most reference implementations
Longest history running SAP in the cloud — proven maturity
Competitive base IaaS pricing with flexible discount models
Strongest data migration and exit tooling (DataSync, DMS)
Best for organizations with significant existing AWS spend
Strong APAC region coverage for global deployments
Considerations
Less proactive SAP promotion — less co-sell commercial support
Narrower BTP regional coverage compared to Azure
Higher data egress costs than Azure in many scenarios
SAP negotiating leverage minimal — large existing base reduces urgency
Smaller SAP-specific support ecosystem within AWS
G
Google Cloud Platform
Smallest RISE base — most aggressive pricing and deal flexibility
GCP RISE Architecture Stack
S/4HANA Private Cloud
BTP on GCP (Most Limited Coverage)
Integration Suite
SAP HANA on M2/M3 Machine Series
Persistent Disk / Hyperdisk
GCP VPC / Cloud Interconnect
Multi-Zone HA
Cross-Region Replication (DR)
Cloud KMS / Security Command Center
Cloud Monitoring / Logging
Cloud Identity (SSO)
🏗 Infrastructure
M2/M3 machine series certified for HANA up to 12 TB
Multi-zone deployments for high availability
Cloud Interconnect for dedicated on-premises links
Hyperdisk for high-throughput HANA storage I/O
Custom machine types offer flexible sizing
🌍 BTP & Regions
Most limited BTP service availability across regions
40+ regions — strong in Americas and EU
BTP coverage concentrated in US and EU West
Canada (Montréal) region available for data residency
Fewest SAP RISE reference implementations globally
💰 Pricing Leverage
CUD (Committed Use Discount) alignment with RISE spend
Most aggressive infrastructure base pricing of all three
Willing to offer deeper SAP discounts to gain market share
Sustained-use automatic discounts on qualifying VMs
Strongest negotiating position — SAP hungry for GCP RISE wins
🔗 Integration Points
BigQuery for SAP data warehousing and analytics
Vertex AI for generative AI workloads alongside SAP
Google Workspace integration (Sheets, Drive, Meet)
Looker for SAP reporting and executive dashboards
Cloud Dataflow for real-time SAP event streaming
Advantages
Most aggressive infrastructure pricing — 15–25% below Azure
Strongest SAP negotiating leverage — SAP wants GCP RISE wins
Best for BigQuery/analytics-heavy data strategies
Custom machine types allow precise HANA right-sizing
Google Workspace integration for non-Microsoft shops
Network egress pricing lower than Azure and AWS
Considerations
Most limited BTP service coverage — validate before signing
Smallest RISE customer base — fewest reference implementations
Least mature SAP delivery organization within Google
HANA certification tops out at 12 TB (Azure/AWS go to 24 TB)
Less enterprise support ecosystem and SAP Basis expertise
Higher risk of implementation delays due to limited experience
Side-by-Side Comparison
Criterion
Azure
AWS
GCP
SAP Relationship
Default / co-sell partner
Large installed base
Growth-mode acquisition
BTP Coverage
Broadest globally
Growing — narrower
Most limited
Max HANA Certified
24 TB (M-series)
24 TB (u-* instances)
12 TB (M2/M3)
Base IaaS Pricing
Higher — premium positioning
Competitive
Most aggressive
Negotiating Leverage
Minimal — default choice
Moderate
Strongest — SAP is hungry
EDP/CUD Offset
EA/MACC alignment
EDP / RI pass-through
CUD / sustained-use
Data Residency
60+ regions — widest
33 regions — strong APAC
40+ regions — good EU/US
Hybrid Cloud
Azure Arc / Migrate
Outposts / DataSync
Anthos
Exit Tooling
Azure Migrate
DataSync, DMS — strongest
Transfer Service
AI/Analytics
Copilot / Power BI
Bedrock / QuickSight
BigQuery / Vertex AI
Private Connectivity
ExpressRoute
Direct Connect
Cloud Interconnect
Identity / SSO
Entra ID
IAM Identity Center
Cloud Identity
Best For
Microsoft EA shops
Existing AWS / APAC orgs
Cost-driven / analytics-heavy
Decision Framework
Choosing Your Hyperscaler
The optimal hyperscaler depends on three intersecting factors: existing cloud commitments, data residency requirements, and the negotiating leverage each choice creates within your RISE discussions.
📊
Existing Cloud Commitments
Organizations with large Azure EA, AWS EDP, or GCP CUD commitments should align RISE spend to maximize existing discount structures. A well-structured arrangement can achieve 15–28% net infrastructure cost reduction through credit alignment alone.
🌍
BTP Service Requirements
Validate which BTP services your organization actually needs, and confirm they're available in your required data residency regions on your chosen hyperscaler. The average enterprise consumes fewer than 60% of included BTP credits before expiry — often due to hyperscaler-imposed service restrictions.
⚖
Negotiating Position
Choosing the non-default hyperscaler creates natural leverage. GCP currently offers the strongest negotiating position as SAP actively seeks GCP RISE wins. Enterprises receiving standard SAP proposals without independent analysis achieve suboptimal outcomes in 80% of cases.
🔒
Data Residency & Compliance
Data sovereignty requirements can lock you into a specific hyperscaler and region. Azure leads with 60+ regions and the widest GDPR/EU compliance coverage. Negotiate data residency terms upfront — changing hyperscalers post-signature incurs significant egress and reconfiguration costs.
🔗
Ecosystem Alignment
Microsoft shops benefit from Azure's native M365/Entra ID integration. Analytics-heavy organizations gain from GCP's BigQuery pipeline. AWS-native toolchains (Lambda, Step Functions) integrate well with event-driven SAP architectures. Let your existing ecosystem guide the choice.
🚪
Exit & Migration Flexibility
Negotiate hyperscaler migration rights upfront — the ability to switch platforms at defined intervals without early termination penalties. Data egress charges, BTP credit expiry, and infrastructure reconfiguration costs make unplanned exits prohibitively expensive. AWS offers the strongest exit tooling.
Contract Intelligence
Essential Negotiation Provisions
These provisions never appear in SAP's standard Order Form — they require explicit negotiation. Each directly impacts long-term cost, flexibility, and risk exposure.
Provision
What to Negotiate
Impact
Hyperscaler Migration Rights
Contractual ability to change platforms at defined intervals without early termination penalties
Prevents vendor lock-in and preserves future leverage
Infrastructure Benchmarking
24-month benchmarking provision with pricing adjustment if divergence exceeds 10–15%
Enterprises pay 20–35% above market — this resets pricing
EDP/CUD Credit Portability
Written confirmation that RISE revenue flows through your enterprise agreements
15–25% infrastructure cost reduction via credit alignment
Multi-Cloud BTP Access
Consume BTP credits across multiple hyperscaler regions where services vary
Prevents wasted BTP credits from regional service gaps
Data Egress Cost Cap
Contractual limits on egress charges from RISE communicating with non-SAP systems
Avoids unbudgeted integration costs at scale
SLA Credit Enhancement
Negotiate 5–10% SLA credits vs. the standard 1–2%
Meaningful remediation for outages vs. token gesture
Interactive Tool
Hyperscaler Cost Comparison
Estimate relative infrastructure costs across all three hyperscalers based on your HANA sizing and existing discount structures.
Infrastructure Cost Estimator
Select your parameters to see projected annual infrastructure cost by hyperscaler.
Azure
$658K
AWS
$603K
GCP
$533K
Note: These estimates model relative differences only — actual RISE contract pricing depends on SAP's commercial terms, your specific configuration, negotiation outcomes, and add-on services (budget 15–20% above base). Independent analysis shows enterprises pay 20–35% above current hyperscaler market rates for RISE-managed infrastructure. Contact Skynome for a detailed assessment.
Optimize Your Hyperscaler Decision
The Governance Readiness Score evaluates your cloud infrastructure alignment across all 9 governance domains — including hyperscaler readiness, BTP utilization, and migration risk.