EU Commission preliminarily designates AWS and Azure as DMA gatekeepers (heise.de)

• EC preliminarily finds AWS and Azure meet DMA gatekeeper criteria despite sub-threshold user numbers.
• Market investigation cites market power, lock-in effects, and AI-driven vertical integration.
• Final designation would force compliance with interoperability, data portability, and fair ranking rules.

"The European Commission has preliminarily concluded that Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure should be designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), despite not meeting the quantitative thresholds. The decision is based on a market investigation citing market power, high switching costs, and the role of cloud infrastructure in the AI boom. Companies can respond; final designation would impose interoperability, data portability, and anti-self-preferencing obligations."