Core Viewpoint - The acquisition of VMware by Broadcom for $61 billion is under scrutiny by EU judges following a legal challenge from a cloud computing organization regarding the EU's approval of this major tech deal [1] Group 1: Legal Challenge - The European Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers Association (CISPE) has filed a lawsuit against the EU General Court, arguing that the European Commission did not impose any conditions on Broadcom to prevent potential abuse of market dominance [1] - CISPE claims to have previously warned the EU antitrust authorities about Broadcom's allegedly harmful behavior, but asserts that the EU has not taken substantial action to address these concerns [1] Group 2: Acquisition Details - The European Commission conditionally approved Broadcom's acquisition of VMware in July 2023, noting that Broadcom provided a "comprehensive access and interoperability commitment" to alleviate antitrust concerns [1] - The acquisition allows Broadcom to control VMware's virtualization software, which is essential for cloud service companies to run multiple systems on a single server [1] Group 3: Post-Acquisition Concerns - Following the completion of the acquisition, concerns have resurfaced regarding Broadcom's actions, particularly allegations of terminating existing contracts and introducing high-cost new licensing terms, which CISPE claims harm European cloud computing users [1][2] - CISPE has indicated that Broadcom has raised prices and implemented more restrictive licensing terms, turning a key tool into a tightly controlled bottleneck, affecting nearly all organizations using cloud technology in Europe [2]