The news
Broadcom VMware EU antitrust scrutiny deepened on September 11, 2026, when Bloomberg reported that European Commission officials had questioned cloud providers about their reliance on VMware software and Broadcom Inc.'s (AVGO) new certification terms, according to SDxCentral and PYMNTS, which cited the report.
According to those accounts, the questions were sent to cloud providers in July. They asked how important VMware products are to the providers' services, whether those products could easily be replaced, and whether any new certification arrangements were unfair. PYMNTS said officials also asked about the availability of alternatives and the effects of Broadcom's revised licensing.
The requests are an information-gathering step, not a formal antitrust case. SDxCentral noted that if the Commission decides to escalate, it could open a formal investigation or move faster with interim measures, temporary orders that can halt disputed conduct while a case proceeds. Both outlets noted that EU antitrust fines can reach 10% of a company's global annual revenue.
A Broadcom spokesperson said the company is aware the Commission is gathering information from various market participants and remains engaged with regulators, as reported by PYMNTS citing Bloomberg. The Commission declined to comment to Bloomberg, PYMNTS reported.
The scrutiny concerns changes Broadcom made after completing its $61 billion acquisition of VMware in 2023. SDxCentral reported that Broadcom closed its Advantage Partner Program for VMware Cloud Service Providers (VCSP), replacing it with an invite-only system. PYMNTS cited a March 31 deadline that could leave some providers unable to sell VMware subscriptions through the revamped program, removing a channel smaller European cloud companies had used.
The trade group Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE) filed a complaint with the Commission's competition directorate, arguing the program's closure would force many European service providers to exit the market, SDxCentral reported. According to CISPE, it formally presented that complaint on March 19, 2026, along with a request for interim measures, and in July 2025 it asked the EU General Court to annul the Commission's 2023 approval of the VMware deal.
The numbers
- VMware acquisition price (completed 2023)
- $61 billion
- Month EU questions went to cloud providers
- July 2026
- Maximum EU antitrust fine
- Up to 10% of global annual revenue
- CISPE complaint formally presented, per CISPE
- March 19, 2026
- Broadcom infrastructure software revenue, fiscal Q3
- $8.75 billion (up 29%)
Why CEOs should care
For CIOs and technology buyers in Europe, the immediate risk sits with the provider, not the regulator. If your hosted VMware environment runs through a cloud provider that is not in Broadcom's invite-only program, ask in writing whether the provider can renew your service, when its current VMware contracts end, and what migration path it offers. Inventory every VMware workload hosted by a third party so that no renewal date comes as a surprise.
CFOs should not budget around a regulatory rescue. CISPE says it presented its complaint and interim-measures request in March 2026, the questions to providers followed in July, and neither a formal case nor interim measures is guaranteed. Model two scenarios for the next renewal cycle: staying on VMware under Broadcom's current terms, and moving to an alternative platform, including the one-time migration cost. Seek price caps and advance-notice clauses for any licensing changes in new contracts.
CISOs and boards should treat this as a concentration risk. A forced move of regulated or public-sector workloads at renewal can weaken security controls if rushed. Directors can ask management which critical systems depend on a single vendor that can change partner and licensing terms on its own, and whether a tested exit plan exists.
The bigger picture
Broadcom's software business carries real weight: its infrastructure software segment produced $8.75 billion in revenue in the fiscal third quarter, up 29%, according to results released on September 2. European cloud providers have used complaints to win licensing changes before: CISPE says an agreement it reached with Microsoft over cloud licensing terms was finalized in July 2025.
What happened next
On September 15, CISPE published the fourth report of its European Cloud Competition Observatory, keeping Broadcom at red, or critical, status. The group said Broadcom had shut most European providers out of offering VMware, restricted customers' bring-your-own-license (BYOL) rights and sought to suspend a Commission request for information pending a court appeal, and it renewed its call for interim measures. Network World reported the same day that the report cited member claims of license cost increases of 10 times or more compared with pre-acquisition pricing; its article included no Broadcom response.
What to watch: whether the Commission opens formal proceedings or seeks interim measures, how the General Court rules on CISPE's challenge to the 2023 merger approval, and how many providers keep the right to sell VMware subscriptions as current contracts expire.
