The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that AWS and Azure should be designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act, despite neither service meeting the regulation's standard quantitative thresholds. Brussels is invoking the DMA's qualitative route, arguing both platforms serve as critical gateways for EU businesses. If designated, the two cloud giants would face obligations including no self-preferencing, mandated interoperability, and data portability rules aimed at reducing vendor lock-in. The move is partly motivated by cloud infrastructure's growing role as the foundation for AI adoption across Europe. Both Amazon and Microsoft have objected, and a defence phase is now underway before any final decision.
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