Cloud

By considering designating AWS and Azure as “gatekeepers” despite their failure to exceed the DMA thresholds, the European Commission is testing the limits of its regulatory arsenal while extending the scope of the regulation to cloud infrastructure. The European Commission has taken a new step in its regulation of the cloud by notifying Amazon and Microsoft today of its preliminary conclusion that their cloud services,… AWS and Azure, should be designated as “gatekeepers” under the DMA. This is a particularly symbolic decision, as Brussels has been increasingly emphasizing European strategic autonomy and sovereignty in recent weeks and presenting the cloud as critical infrastructure for the development of AI. Thresholds Not Met Notably, AWS and Azure do not meet the quantitative thresholds set forth in the regulation, particularly regarding the number…