European Union antitrust regulators are moving closer to treating Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud businesses as “gatekeepers” under the bloc’s Big Tech rulebook, a step that could bring Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure under stricter competition obligations.
EU antitrust regulators said Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud computing services should be designated as gatekeepers under landmark tech rules.
AWS and Azure Face Possible DMA Obligations
The possible designation would fall under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, or DMA.
Reuters reported that the designation would impose a set of obligations and bans on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, described as the world’s two largest cloud providers.
The Economic Times reported that these obligations would include limits on self-preferencing and requirements to ensure interoperability and data portability.
That would mark a significant expansion of the DMA. EU regulators have so far targeted core platform services such as search, social media and app stores. Extending the DMA to cloud infrastructure would move the rules into a sector viewed as critical to AI.
Cloud Seen as Critical to Europe’s Economy
EU officials framed the move around the growing role of cloud computing in Europe’s digital future.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said that cloud services have become a cornerstone of Europe’s economy and a prerequisite for AI, with over half of EU businesses relying on them. Virkkunen shared that cloud services must operate in fair, open and competitive markets that support trust and Europe’s tech sovereignty.
The European Commission singled out AWS and Azure because of their scale. The Commission cited AWS and Microsoft Azure’s significant turnover, larger operational capacity and investments than rivals, entrenched user bases, lock-in effects and high switching costs. The EU competition enforcer pointed to the two services’ AI tools and partnerships as a decisive factor in cloud procurement.
Amazon and Microsoft Push Back
Amazon criticized the assessment, warning that more regulation could hurt customers and investment. Amazon said the assessment disregards the breadth of cloud services available to European customers and risks deterring European investment and innovation. Amazon argues that the EU already has comprehensive cloud regulation through the Data Act.
Microsoft, meanwhile, pointed to competition from Google. Microsoft said ignoring the growing power of Google Cloud and Gemini could tilt the market in a harmful way.
Final Decision Still Pending
The findings are still preliminary. Amazon and Microsoft can now seek to counter the Commission’s preliminary findings before the regulator issues a final decision in the coming months.
If finalized, the move could reshape how Europe regulates cloud infrastructure. For years, the EU’s Big Tech rules focused mostly on consumer-facing platforms, app stores and search engines.
Bringing cloud services into the gatekeeper framework would signal that Brussels now sees digital infrastructure itself as a competition and sovereignty issue, especially as cloud computing becomes central to AI, enterprise software and public-sector technology.
