EU widens rules to cloud and AI

The European Commission said its next Digital Markets Act work will reach deeper into cloud computing and artificial intelligence services, not just app stores and search. (reuters.com) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) In its first formal review of the law on April 28, the Commission said the Digital Markets Act remains “fit for purpose” after two years and has opened new opportunities for businesses and developers. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Reuters reported regulators now plan to focus on whether the law can tackle competition problems in cloud and AI, after earlier enforcement centered on mobile operating systems, browsers and search. (reuters.com) Cloud computing is the rented server capacity behind apps and websites, and AI services increasingly depend on those same data centers, chips and software layers. (reuters.com) That matters for the DMA because the law was built around “core platform services,” and Brussels is now testing whether infrastructure that sits behind consumer products can also become a gatekeeping chokepoint. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (reuters.com) The clearest live example is Android. On April 27, the Commission sent Alphabet preliminary findings in a specification proceeding it opened on January 27, 2026 over Android interoperability. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The draft measures would require Google to give third parties effective access to key Android capabilities so competing AI services can interact with apps and carry out actions such as sending emails, ordering food or sharing photos. Feedback is open until May 13. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The Commission had already widened its cloud focus in November 2025, when it opened market investigations into whether Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure should be designated as gatekeepers under the DMA. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) That same November move also asked whether the DMA can effectively address cloud-specific practices, signaling that Brussels may regulate not only named companies but the structure of the market itself. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Google said on April 27 that the Commission’s proposed Android measures “would reduce user choice and hurt Europe’s app developers,” while the Commission says the goal is effective interoperability for rivals. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) (reuters.com) The immediate next dates are May 13 for comments on Android and the coming months for the Commission’s cloud and AI work, which now sits at the center of Europe’s Big Tech rulebook. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) (reuters.com)