Microsoft (MSFT) has been hit with a new competition investigation into its business software products.
Britain’s competition regulator is probing Microsoft as Europe steps up its efforts to increase its digital sovereignty and reign in dominant U.S. technology companies.
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority says it is launching a “strategic market status (SMS) investigation” into Microsoft’s suite of enterprise software products, beginning in May.
Hundreds of thousands of U.K. businesses and public sector organizations use Microsoft software that includes Windows, Word, Excel, Teams and artificial intelligence platform Copilot.
The regulator says that its investigation aims to ensure a level playing field as A.I. becomes embedded into business software tools.
In a statement, Microsoft said that it is committed to working “quickly and constructively” to address the U.K. competition authority’s concerns.
Microsoft isn’t the only company to face a U.K. competition probe. Google parent company Alphabet (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL) have faced similar investigations over the past year.
There’s growing scrutiny of the reliance of European businesses and governments on U.S. technology systems as geopolitical tensions rise and trade disputes flare-up among nations.
MSFT stock has declined 4% over the past 12 months to trade at $358.96 U.S. per share.
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