Lobbying group Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers (CISPE) in Europe has urged EU antitrust regulators to temporarily stop U.S. chipmaker Broadcom from ending its VMware Cloud Service Provider programme in Europe. Ramping up its fight against the US tech company Broadcom, the trade body for smaller cloud providers is asking the European Commission to impose interim measures. CISPE wants the European Commission to block Broadcom from terminating the VMware Cloud Service Provider program, calling the decision a death sentence for some tech suppliers and an illegal squeeze on customer choice. CISPE wants the EU to pass an interim measure to immediately suspend Broadcom’s termination of its VCSP partner programme, allow partners excluded to be readmitted to the programme and include protection measures against retaliation from Broadcom. CISPE has nearly 50 members across Europe and counts Microsoft and Amazon as associate members. In 2025, the trade body sued the European Commission for approving Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware in 2023, claiming that the EU competition watchdog had failed to examine the deal properly.Broadcom officially closed its VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program in January this year. All related transactions must be completed by March 31. After that date, only a select group of suppliers will be able to sell VMware subscriptions — either standalone or as part of a broader service. CISPE claims that this equates to hundreds of businesses losing their authorization across Europe. For some, the loss of VCSP status effectively destroys their market. Those whose operations were built around VMware must now hand customers to another authorized supplier or begin the costly migration to an alternative platform.
CISPE wants EC to stop Broadcom from ending VMware Cloud Service Provider program
CISPE has taken its latest grievance about Broadcom to the European Commission after the company revamped its VMware cloud service provider ecosystem late last year and asked for an interim measure. “In January 2026 Broadcom signalled the termination of its VMware Cloud Service Provider program in Europe. This unilateral decision removed all but a tiny minority of hand selected partners and excluded most European CSPs from selling VMware products,” CISPE said in a statement. “Both cloud providers and their customers – are being irreparably damaged by Broadcom’s unfair actions,” CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mingorance said.He added, “After imposing outrageous and unjustified price hikes immediately following the acquisition of VMware, Broadcom is now applying the ‘coup de grâce’. We need urgent intervention to force them to change. The only way to stop bullies is to stand up to them.” CISPE claims that since Broadcom completed its $69 billion takeover of VMware in October 2023, prices have risen tenfold. Broadcom demands payment upfront, products are bundled regardless of customer need, and minimum commitments are based on potential rather than actual consumption.
Broadcom on complaint in Europe
On its part, Broadcom said that it was investing significantly in European VMware Cloud Service Provider partners to help them offer alternatives to hyperscalers, as massive cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Google Cloud are known. “Broadcom strongly disagrees with the allegations by CISPE, an organisation funded by hyperscalers, which misrepresent the realities of the market,” a spokesperson reportedly said.
