Starting March 31, 2026, SAP BTP ABAP environment introduces a new runtime sizing option: 0.5 ABAP Compute Units (ACU) which is 8 GB of runtime memory.
With the introduction of 0.5 ACU, customers can now operate ABAP systems at 50% lower ABAP runtime cost compared to the previous minimum size of 1 ACU making it significantly more cost-efficient to run development, test, and sandbox systems.
This enhancement allows SAP BTP ABAP environment to run on smaller runtime units, lowering the entry barrier for development and test systems.
What is an ABAP Compute Unit (ACU)?
ABAP Compute Units (ACUs) define the runtime capacity of an SAP BTP ABAP environment system. One ACU corresponds to 16 GB of memory allocated to the ABAP runtime. The total runtime size determines how much capacity is available across all ABAP application servers. For more information, see the documentation on ABAP Compute Units.
What’s New?
With this update SAP BTP ABAP environment now supports 0.5 ABAP Compute Units (ACU) as the new minimum system configuration.
It allows to run smaller systems, enabling more granular runtime sizing compared to previous configurations. It creates an additional option to better match the actual workloads, particularly for smaller environments.
What are the Key Benefits?
50% lower ABAP runtime cost compared to the previous minimum size (1 ACU)Improved resource utilization for smaller or variable workloadsLower entry barrier for new and existing customers
For a detailed breakdown of cost components, see my previous blog post on ABAP environment cost calculation.
How to Adjust Existing Systems?
Adjusting the ABAP runtime size (ACUs) is handled via manual scaling and does not lead to a system downtime . You can use the SAP BTP Cockpit to update the service instance, for example, from 1 ACU to 0,5 ACU, see the documentation on Updating an ABAP System.
What Needs to be Considered?
For systems with a runtime size of 0.5 ACU, only one application server is used. This setup is ideal for development and test, but not recommended for productive use, as it may increase the likelihood of short outages.
Overview about typical use cases and recommend systems sizes
Use Case
Size
Total Runtime MemoryApplication Servers
Development, test, sandbox systems for smaller projects
0.5 ACU (new)
8 GB1 á 8 GBDevelopment, test, sandbox systems for bigger projects;
Productive systems for up to 1,000 active users per day1 ACU16 GB2 á 8 GBProductive systems with higher concurrency or up to 100 tenants 2 ACU32 GB4 á 8 GBProductive systems with bigger max session size4 ACU64 GB2 á 32 GBProductive systems with higher load in multitenant SaaS solution 4 ACU64 GB8 á 8 GB
Further References
For more information about sizing options and configuration parameters in SAP BTP ABAP environment, see the documentation on Creating an ABAP System.
Starting March 31, 2026, SAP BTP ABAP environment introduces a new runtime sizing option: 0.5 ABAP Compute Units (ACU) which is 8 GB of runtime memory.With the introduction of 0.5 ACU, customers can now operate ABAP systems at 50% lower ABAP runtime cost compared to the previous minimum size of 1 ACU making it significantly more cost-efficient to run development, test, and sandbox systems.This enhancement allows SAP BTP ABAP environment to run on smaller runtime units, lowering the entry barrier for development and test systems.What is an ABAP Compute Unit (ACU)?ABAP Compute Units (ACUs) define the runtime capacity of an SAP BTP ABAP environment system. One ACU corresponds to 16 GB of memory allocated to the ABAP runtime. The total runtime size determines how much capacity is available across all ABAP application servers. For more information, see the documentation on ABAP Compute Units.What’s New?With this update SAP BTP ABAP environment now supports 0.5 ABAP Compute Units (ACU) as the new minimum system configuration.It allows to run smaller systems, enabling more granular runtime sizing compared to previous configurations. It creates an additional option to better match the actual workloads, particularly for smaller environments.What are the Key Benefits?50% lower ABAP runtime cost compared to the previous minimum size (1 ACU)Improved resource utilization for smaller or variable workloadsLower entry barrier for new and existing customersFor a detailed breakdown of cost components, see my previous blog post on ABAP environment cost calculation.How to Adjust Existing Systems?Adjusting the ABAP runtime size (ACUs) is handled via manual scaling and does not lead to a system downtime . You can use the SAP BTP Cockpit to update the service instance, for example, from 1 ACU to 0,5 ACU, see the documentation on Updating an ABAP System.What Needs to be Considered?For systems with a runtime size of 0.5 ACU, only one application server is used. This setup is ideal for development and test, but not recommended for productive use, as it may increase the likelihood of short outages.Overview about typical use cases and recommend systems sizesUse CaseSizeTotal Runtime MemoryApplication ServersDevelopment, test, sandbox systems for smaller projects0.5 ACU (new)8 GB1 á 8 GBDevelopment, test, sandbox systems for bigger projects;Productive systems for up to 1,000 active users per day1 ACU16 GB2 á 8 GBProductive systems with higher concurrency or up to 100 tenants 2 ACU32 GB4 á 8 GBProductive systems with bigger max session size4 ACU64 GB2 á 32 GBProductive systems with higher load in multitenant SaaS solution 4 ACU64 GB8 á 8 GB Further References For more information about sizing options and configuration parameters in SAP BTP ABAP environment, see the documentation on Creating an ABAP System. Read More Technology Blog Posts by SAP articles
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