EU Information Act prompts Google to scrap knowledge switch charges for UK multicloud customers

UK-based Google Cloud clients will now not should pay knowledge switch charges when shifting knowledge between competing cloud environments, following the launch of the search engine large’s Information Switch Necessities service.

The launch, introduced in a weblog put up by Jeanette Manfra, senior director of world danger and compliance at Google Cloud, comes a number of days forward of the EU Information Act changing into relevant to all EU member states from 12 September 2025.

“Inbuilt response to the rules of cloud interoperability and selection outlined within the EU Information Act, Information Switch Necessities is a brand new, easy resolution for knowledge transfers between Google Cloud and different cloud service suppliers,” stated Manfra. “Though the act permits cloud suppliers to go via prices to clients, Information Switch Necessities is accessible right this moment without charge to clients.” 

The EU Information Act is meant to reshape how the EU cloud providers market operates by guaranteeing cloud suppliers take away any contractual, business, organisational and interoperability boundaries that forestall clients from switching suppliers, for instance. It’ll additionally introduce a requirement in January 2027 that prohibits suppliers from charging clients knowledge egress or switching charges.

By the way, Google turned the primary cloud supplier in January 2024 to cease charging clients egress charges when transferring their knowledge out of its cloud when switching to a brand new supplier. It described the transfer on the time as a present of its dedication to supporting the event of a “thriving cloud ecosystem” that’s “open, safe and interoperable”.

Whereas the UK will not be immediately affected by the introduction of the act, Google has stated its Information Switch Necessities service means clients within the UK and Europe will profit from not having to pay knowledge switch charges when working multicloud deployments.

Because of this, Manfra stated the service will allow clients to broaden their multi-cloud deployments by making it more cost effective to shift knowledge between a number of suppliers, and – in flip – enhance the resiliency of their setups.

“The unique promise of the cloud is one that’s open, elastic and free from synthetic lock-ins,” added Manfra. “Google Cloud continues to embrace this openness and the flexibility for patrons to decide on the cloud service supplier that works greatest for his or her workload wants.”

When Google first introduced that it was slicing egress charges for its cloud clients in January 2024, Amazon Net Providers (AWS) introduced that it was doing the identical in March of that yr.

One week after AWS confirmed its plans to scrap egress charges, Microsoft additionally adopted swimsuit by saying the identical deal for patrons that needed to exit its public cloud platform Azure.

This time round, nonetheless, it appears Google is the one one of many large three cloud suppliers that’s opting to remove the charges related to transferring knowledge between its cloud platform and people supplied by its rivals.

On this level, Microsoft revealed an article on its cloud billing and subscription pages on 9 September 2025 confirming that EU-based Azure customers will now profit from “at value” pricing for knowledge transfers between different “knowledge processing service suppliers”.

In the meantime, AWS has stipulated that EU clients “could request” diminished knowledge switch charges for eligible use instances consistent with the European Information Act on its Amazon EC2 pricing web page.