EU Regulators Urge ‘Gatekeeper’ Designation for AWS and Microsoft Azure
If confirmed, the step would force the clouds to ensure interoperability, data portability and ban self‑preferencing, a shift that could limit how providers bundle AI and hosting services.
Overview
- EU antitrust officials have recommended that Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure be labeled gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act, which would trigger formal behavioral rules for those cloud units.
- The gatekeeper rules would require technical interoperability, let customers move data more easily and bar firms from favoring their own services over rivals in product listings and integrations.
- Microsoft is simultaneously locking long‑term physical and energy deals for data centers, including a reported 20‑year Chevron natural‑gas power contract that JPMorgan called durable and noted its behind‑the‑meter design feeds power directly to the campus.
- Oracle publicly disputed parts of a Business Insider story about collapsed leasing talks with Microsoft, and Reuters said it could not verify the original account while Microsoft declined comment, leaving that partnership narrative unclear.
- The Digital Markets Act gives EU regulators tools to reshape platform behavior by imposing binding technical and commercial obligations on designated gatekeepers, which could change how hyperscalers sell cloud services and how customers access AI tools.