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Digital Markets Act (DMA)
  • News article
  • 18 November 2025
  • Directorate-General for Competition, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology
  • 2 min read

Commission launches market investigations on cloud computing services under the Digital Markets Act

digital cloud image

The European Commission opened three market investigations on cloud computing services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Two market investigations will assess whether Amazon and Microsoft should be designated as gatekeepers for their cloud computing services, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, under the DMA, in other words whether they act as important gateways between businesses and consumers, despite not meeting the DMA gatekeeper thresholds for size, user number and market position. The third market investigation will assess if the DMA can effectively tackle practices that may limit competitiveness and fairness in the cloud computing sector in the EU. 

Market investigations into Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure

Analyses of cloud markets conducted in recent years appear to indicate that the cloud computing services Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services occupy very strong positions in relation to businesses and consumers. Moreover, the Commission will assess if certain features of the cloud sector may further reinforce the position of Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. 

If the Commission’s investigation finds that Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services qualify as important gateways under the DMA, the cloud computing services would be added to the list of core platform services for which Amazon and Microsoft are already designated as gatekeepers. 

Market investigation on the DMA’s application to cloud markets

The Commission is also gathering information from relevant market players to assess whether the current obligations under the DMA are effective in addressing practices that limit competitiveness or are unfair in the cloud sector. The investigation will cover, for instance, obstacles to interoperability between cloud computing services, limited or conditioned access for business users to data, tying and bundling services, and potentially imbalanced contractual terms. 

See the full press release here