When "law" and "artificial intelligence" are mentioned in the same sentence, you automatically think of paragraphs, footnotes and guesswork. In future, the AI Act will affect everyone who uses AI - not just tech start-ups, but also traditional companies, administrations and universities. And who is supposed to keep an overview? Exactly: the AI Officer - or more soberly, a responsible person who coordinates and monitors the implementation of the requirements and obligations of the EU AI Act - a kind of navigator in the new sea of AI regulations.
But what happens when SAP and OpenAI work together to build a "sovereign" AI platform in Germany?
Image source: Tara Winstead / Pexels | Description: Abstract representation of a networked AI structure - it stands for the complex architecture of modern systems that fall under the AI Act. This is where the work of the AI Officer begins: creating transparency in the digital network.
SAP and OpenAI are jointly launching an initiative called "Sovereign OpenAI in Germany", often shortened to "OpenAI for Germany". The platform is provided via SAP's subsidiary Delos Cloud and operated on Microsoft Azure - with servers in Germany that are physically and legally separated from the global Azure network.
The aim is to provide public institutions, authorities and universities with access to AI services that guarantee data sovereignty, security and legal compliance. SAP plans to significantly expand the capacity of the Delos Cloud, including by adding up to 4,000 GPUs for AI workloads. The launch of the offering is planned for 2026.
In other words, the data is stored on separate, demarcated servers in Germany that are subject to European data protection - so no uncontrolled data exchange across the Atlantic, but a cloud infrastructure under a German roof. In short: an attempt to make global AI locally controllable - with a TÜV feel and cloud charm.
The AI Act obliges providers and operators to, among other things:
Full disclosure of training data is not required, but the ability to document its origin and quality in a comprehensible manner is. In short: transparency yes, transparent data records no.
For the platform to be legally compliant, data flows and system access must be verifiable, secure and auditable. If the data is stored in Germany and processed under European data protection law, this is a clear advantage. SAP, OpenAI and Microsoft must ensure that their systems enable risk management, logging and human control. If they fail to do so, their use in public administrations would not be approvable - and SAP's biggest customers are unlikely to like that.
Image source: K11 Consulting GmbH | Description: A K11 workshop in action: experts from IT management and data protection discuss how the requirements of the AI Act can be implemented in practice. The focus: the responsibility and training of the AI Officer as a new key role.
Why do you need an AI Officer at all? The AI Officer ensures that technical, organizational and legal requirements are brought together. This role is not mentioned by name in the law, but arises functionally from the duties of internal responsibility and supervision.
Especially in sovereign cloud environments such as that of SAP Delos, this person must ensure that access controls, logging and data isolation exist not only on slides, but also in the server room.
Image source: K11 Consulting GmbH | Description: A moment from a K11 workshop: Expert discussion on the practical implementation of the AI Act in day-to-day business. The AI Officer takes center stage - as a bridge between law, technology and common sense.
Suppose a state authority wants to introduce chatbot support via "OpenAI for Germany". The person responsible would have to:
If this is implemented consistently, the use of AI can start in a legally compliant and responsible manner.
The SAP-OpenAI partnership is not a Silicon Valley campaign, but a European experiment: Is it possible to use AI without losing control - and without violating the AI Act?
In future, the AI Act will require AI not only to work, but also to be explainable, verifiable and accountable. And the AI Officer will become the key figure who mediates between algorithms and supervisory authorities - half lawyer, half translator, with an occasional penchant for irony.
Law and creativity must dance here. And whoever orchestrates this will not only get Germany moving digitally, but also intellectually.