Published in Cloud

EU regulators look at Microsoft's Azure

by on16 May 2023


Claims that Vole is nibbling at rivals again

Microsoft's Azure cloud business has been targeted by the European Union's antitrust arm, amid concerns the US software firm is leveraging its market power to squeeze out rivals. 

Regulators are informally quizzing competitors and customers about how Microsoft may be abusing its access to business-sensitive information belonging to cloud firms it has commercial dealings with.

EU antitrust enforcers want to know whether Vole then users such confidential information to compete with cloud-service providers on the market.

The EU's escalation follows on the heels of a series of complaints from cloud firms over Microsoft's behavior -- including CISPE, an industry group with links to Amazon.com's Amazon Web Services.

The scrutiny of cloud competition coincides with Microsoft's efforts to convince regulators around the world to approve its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, publisher of Call of Duty.

The European Commission, the EU watchdog, conditionally approved the tie-up, just weeks after the UK's competition authority vetoed it.

 

Last modified on 16 May 2023
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