AWS and Azure are the largest and second largest cloud computing services in the EU respectively.
The EU wants to designate Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud services as gatekeepers under the bloc’s strict competition regulations.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft’s Azure are the largest and second largest cloud computing services in the EU respectively, but they do not meet the Digital Markets Act’s (DMA) thresholds for size, user number and market position to be called gatekeepers.
The DMA aims to regulate players in various digital markets by setting responsibilities and banning unfair practices – and the designation is only given to platforms that provide an important gateway between businesses and consumers.
The Commission launched an investigation into the platforms nonetheless last November, arguing that the companies’ cloud services showed “very strong [market] positions”.
