Google vs Microsoft: the war of the giants is looming, with the former accusing the latter of having a monopoly on the Cloud

The giant Google, which deplores Microsoft’s monopoly on the Cloud, wants to alert European and global authorities. According to him, his competitor’s position could have consequences on the online storage market.

Proof that it does not dominate the entire world of Tech, Google is only the third largest in the world in the Cloud, quite far behind its illustrious competitors, Amazon and Microsoft. Google Cloud Vice President Amit Zavery directly accused Microsoft on Monday of seeking to establish a monopoly in online storage, a sort of “ walled garden “which would be similar to its former monopoly on software” on the site “. According to him, this would harm technological development and artificial intelligence.

Google doesn’t want a new Microsoft monopoly

Behind Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud expresses its concern regarding the market power of the two leaders. The Mountain View firm believes that strategic collaborations, notably that with OpenAI and its ChatGPT, raise the threat of consolidation in the Cloud computing sector.

Amit Zavery calls on regulators in the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom to quickly intervene. The latter expresses a real need for regulation, with the aim of preventing Microsoft from transferring the monopoly it had on software on fixed workstations to a monopoly in the Cloud.

The vice president of Google Cloud says that the company at the window is pushing its customers to turn to Azure, and this “ in several ways ”, which according to him would hinder competition in the Cloud market. But what does Microsoft say to this?

Microsoft and Google will not agree

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft rejects criticism from Google Cloud and its vice-president. The company explains that competition between Cloud hyperscalers remains healthy, with a spokesperson even adding that Google and Microsoft were still far away, in 2023, from threatening Amazon’s leadership in the market. What to divert attention to AWS?

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​Microsoft President Brad Smith reiterated this, emphasizing his company’s vertical integration in all aspects of AI, “ from chips to a thriving mobile app store », the dig sent to Google had its effect.

On the Google Cloud side precisely, we continue to point the finger at Microsoft’s agreements, concluded with individual Cloud providers unilaterally, to stifle their discontent. As the battle between the cloud giants intensifies, the crucial question remains: will regulators take steps to ensure competition and market openness, or will the cloud computing sector ultimately be dominated by by one or two major players?

Source : Reuters