- AI cloud regulation EU reviews now cover AWS, Microsoft Azure, and some AI services.
- The EU says the DMA remains fit for purpose as scrutiny shifts to AI and cloud.
The European Commission plans to place more scrutiny on cloud and artificial intelligence services under the Digital Markets Act, as regulators assess how the law applies to newer parts of the digital economy.
The DMA currently applies to Alphabet, Amazon , Apple ,, ByteDance, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft . These companies are designated as “gatekeepers” under the law and must follow rules aimed at preventing the misuse of market power.
Under the DMA, gatekeepers are large digital platforms that provide core platform services and act as important gateways between businesses and users. The rules include obligations linked to data access, user choice and restrictions on favouring a company’s own services over rivals.
In a report published on Tuesday, the Commission said the DMA had improved conditions for businesses and users since it became applicable in May 2023. Regulators said the law has made it easier for users to move their data when switching to rival services and devices.
The Commission also said device makers have gained more room to make their products work with Big Tech operating systems. These changes were cited as examples of how the law has affected digital markets already covered by the DMA.
EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the law was designed to adapt to new challenges, including AI and cloud services.
Cloud and AI come under closer review
The Commission said it is not proposing major changes to the DMA after its review. It said the existing framework remains fit for purpose, while cloud services and AI will be areas for closer monitoring and enforcement.
The Commission, which enforces competition rules in the EU, said its next focus is to make cloud and AI services fairer and more contestable. Regulators will examine whether certain AI services should be classified as virtual assistant core platform services under the DMA.
A DMA designation would bring qualifying AI services in the law’s existing obligations. The Commission said it is already applying relevant DMA rules to AI services and will use findings from ongoing AI-related work to decide whether further measures are needed.
The EU is also investigating whether Amazon and Microsoft should be designated as gatekeepers for their cloud computing services. The review covers Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
The Commission opened three cloud market investigations in November 2025. Two are assessing whether AWS and Microsoft Azure should be treated as gatekeeper services, while a third is examining whether the DMA can address practices that may affect fairness and contest-ability in cloud computing.
The Commission said AWS and Microsoft Azure are being assessed because cloud services can act as important gateways between businesses and consumers, even when they do not meet the DMA’s standard gatekeeper thresholds for size, user numbers, and market position.
Cloud services support AI development and deployment through computing capacity, storage and specialised hardware. The OECD has identified AI compute availability as a policy issue.
The cloud review is part of the Commission’s wider assessment of how the DMA applies to infrastructure markets that support digital services. Reuters reported in November that AWS was the world’s largest cloud provider, followed by Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
On AI, the Commission is looking at whether some services should be handled under existing DMA categories not through a separate competition framework. One area under review is whether certain AI services should be treated as virtual assistant core platform services.
Apple raises concerns over DMA impact
Apple criticised the Commission’s report, saying it did not properly account for the DMA’s effect on user privacy and innovation. The company said EU users could face risks from alternative distribution channels, including exposure to harmful content, data-sharing with un-trusted third parties, and delays in receiving some features.
The Commission said it does not plan to require major social networks to work with one another, despite requests from some companies. It said there was no clear demand for interoperability between designated social networking services.
Regulators said they will continue to monitor the sector. The Commission also said it does not plan to change the criteria used to designate gatekeepers or revise the list of obligations imposed on those companies.
BEUC, which represents consumer organisations in Europe, urged the Commission to strengthen DMA enforcement, particularly in newer digital markets.
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