EU Targets Azure and AWS Under DMA as Top 2 Cloud Providers
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 25
EU Targets Azure and AWS Under DMA as Top 2 Cloud Providers
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 25
Summary
Thursday’s preliminary EU findings put Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services on course for Digital Markets Act obligations, extending tougher Big Tech rules into cloud computing.
The bloc said Azure and AWS are the largest and second-largest cloud services in the EU, with turnover, operational capacity and investment that have significantly outpaced rivals.
That assessment signals regulators see both platforms as holding entrenched market power, a key threshold for DMA intervention.
The move broadens the EU’s digital crackdown beyond consumer internet platforms, potentially reshaping competition rules for enterprise cloud infrastructure.
As the EU targets cloud giants, could its plan to boost competition unintentionally stifle critical AI innovation?
With the UK opting out, is the EU's landmark tech law a dangerous misfit for the competitive cloud market?
European Commission Probes AWS and Azure Under DMA: The Battle for Fairness in the €100 Billion Cloud Sector
Overview
The European Commission has launched major investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) into Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, aiming to determine if they qualify as 'gatekeepers' in the cloud sector. If found to be gatekeepers, AWS and Azure will be added to the list of core platform services and must follow strict DMA rules. These obligations are designed to foster fair competition by requiring interoperability with third-party services, making it easier for businesses to switch providers, and preventing self-preferencing. The goal is to ensure a fair and open digital market, especially in cloud computing.