DMA, the EU Moves Towards Designating AWS and Azure as Cloud Gatekeepers
DMA, the EU Moves Towards Designating AWS and Azure as Cloud Gatekeepers
The European Commission is preparing to classify Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act. Preliminary results of the investigation into U.S. cloud providers are expected by the end of this week, according to Heise. This would be the first time that the DMA is applied to cloud infrastructure, which has so far remained outside the scope of the regulation.
The DMA review report published by the Commission in April 2026 had already indicated cloud and artificial intelligence services as the next big target, with a commitment to making both markets fairer and more contestable. The incoming designation is the first concrete step in that direction.
Until today, the six designated gatekeepers (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft) were classified for services like app stores, search engines, messaging, social networks, and operating systems. However, AWS and Azure had evaded the regulation as most of their revenue comes from business contracts, which makes it difficult to count individual users—a key criterion of the DMA for measuring market power. The Commission circumvented this obstacle by conducting a qualitative market investigation rather than a quantitative one toward the end of last year, stating that Microsoft and Amazon hold very strong positions in cloud.
The investigation was triggered by two severe blackouts in October 2025: an AWS outage lasting about 15 hours and, shortly after, an Azure shutdown, both of which had significant repercussions on critical third-party services. The Azure failure even prevented passengers from checking in for flights and disrupted a vote in the Scottish Parliament.
Implications of the Designation
Once classified as gatekeepers, AWS and Azure would be required to ensure interoperability and data portability, making it easier for customers to change cloud providers and connect third-party services. These are precisely the points on which European businesses have long complained of high exit costs and lock-in mechanisms. In case of DMA violations, penalties can reach up to 10% of global annual revenue, rising to 20% for repeated infringements.
Market Numbers in Europe
On market share, the numbers leave little room for interpretation: together, AWS and Azure control over 65% of cloud infrastructure revenue in the European Union, according to data from Synergy Research Group for the first quarter of 2026. This move comes in a politically tense context: the Trump administration has often framed European tech rules as attacks on U.S. companies, and the DMA has already produced fines against Apple (€500 million) and Meta (€200 million).
The final decision on the designation is expected by the end of 2026, although the timing remains provisional. The preliminary results of this week, if confirmed, mark the point where the DMA moves from consumer-facing platforms to the foundations on which much of those platforms operate.