- Google withdrew its 2024 complaint against Microsoft’s Azure following the emergence of a formal sector-wide EU probe into cloud dominance.
- The commission may designate major providers such as Microsoft Azure and AWS as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), subjecting them to stricter obligations.
What happened: Google retracts complaint amid broader EU cloud investigation
Alphabet’s Google officially withdrew a longstanding antitrust complaint against competitor Microsoft’s cloud offering, Azure. The original 2024 complaint accused Microsoft of using unfair licensing and tying practices to lock customers into its cloud platform. The decision to retract comes just a week after the European Commission (EC) opened a sweeping investigation into competitive practices across the cloud computing sector, including scrutiny of Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Google’s head of government affairs and public policy for Google Cloud Europe said the withdrawal followed the EC’s announcement, with the company maintaining its commitment to openness and choice in cloud markets. The investigation will examine whether structural aspects of the cloud market reinforce dominance by a few large providers. This could result in the classification of Microsoft and AWS as gatekeepers under the DMA, which would impose a set of regulatory obligations. Current market share estimates give AWS about 30 per cent, Microsoft around 20 per cent and Google roughly 13 per cent.
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Why it’s important
Google’s withdrawal does not signal retreat, but rather a strategic shift — placing trust in regulators to enforce fairness across the entire cloud sector rather than fighting individual complaints. If the EC finds that Azure or AWS wield gatekeeper-level power, it could reshape the cloud market in Europe, forcing tougher controls over how services are bundled and sold.
For enterprises and cloud clients, this could lead to wider choice and more transparent licensing terms. Smaller cloud providers may gain a better chance to compete, while large firms could face new compliance burdens. For AWS and Microsoft, the risk is considerable: gatekeeper status under the DMA could limit some of their business practices, such as bundling cloud services with software licensing.
The broader shift underscores increasing regulatory scrutiny of cloud infrastructure — viewed as critical backbone technology in an era of AI and digital transformation. As cloud services underpin everything from enterprise computing to national digital infrastructure, the shape of regulation now may define the future of global cloud competition.
