EU Antitrust Regulators Open New Review of Broadcom’s VMware Licensing

The Commission's focus on certification rules and partner-program deadlines suggests the probe is less about the merger itself than about whether Broadcom can use post-deal licensing terms to squeeze cloud providers that resell VMware. That matters for Europe's cloud sector, where VMware remains deeply embedded in enterprise virtualization and switching costs are high. The March 31 cutoff is the near-term pressure point: whether Broadcom adjusts terms before providers lose resale rights, or whether the Commission's questionnaire leads to formal objections, is the open question.