EU plans to name AWS, Azure DMA gatekeepers, Bloomberg says

The European Commission plans to designate Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act in November. Bloomberg reported the plan on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The move would bring the two largest cloud providers in the European Union under the bloc's strictest Big Tech rules.thenextweb+1

Regulators are finishing investigations that will conclude both services meet the requirements to fall under the law, according to Bloomberg. The decision is still in draft form, and its timing could slip, the people said. The Commission has not publicly set a date. A designation would confirm the preliminary view the Commission shared with Amazon Amazon.com, Inc. ↗ 1.60% and Microsoft ↗ 1.38% in June. At that time, it described AWS and Azure as a key gateway between businesses and their customers.tradingview+1

An unusual route to designation

Neither cloud service meets the law's usual thresholds for size and user numbers. The Commission instead pointed to their large, long-standing customer bases, which find switching costly. It also said the two services keep much of the new demand for AI computing inside their own ecosystems. The Commission opened the cloud investigations in November 2025. The DMA gives it roughly a year to complete such reviews, which fits a November decision.thenextweb

Once designated, the companies would have six months to bring the services into compliance. The rules bar gatekeepers from favoring their own products and require them to work with rival services and let customers move their data, which would make switching providers easier. Breaches can bring fines of up to 10% of global annual revenue, or 20% for repeat violations. Both companies are already gatekeepers for other services, including Amazon's marketplace and Microsoft's Windows.thenextweb

Industry pushback and market read

Both companies have objected. In June, AWS argued that the EU already regulates cloud services through its Data Act and that adding DMA rules could discourage investment in Europe. When the investigations opened, Microsoft said Europe's cloud sector was innovative and highly competitive.thenextweb

Market commentary service Newsquawk said the bigger effect for hyperscalers is likely to be "the friction," not the penalties. It pointed to egress fees, bundling of cloud with productivity software, and licensing terms for running software on rival infrastructure as frequent regulatory targets. It added that European cloud companies may be "the more likely relative beneficiary".newsquawk

The report comes as Washington continues to criticize the EU's regulation of U.S. technology companies. Brussels will have to show that a law written for consumer platforms can also apply to the infrastructure behind Europe's AI expansion.