Alphabet’s Google reportedly took aim at Microsoft for anti-competitive cloud practices, urging the European Union to scrutinise the company’s deals with several vendors in the market, intensifying a growing rivalry between the pair.

Google Cloud VP Amit Zavery told Reuters Microsoft took an anti-competitive stance in the sector, muddying the waters of customer choice by tying Office 365 and Windows products to its Azure service.

The comments follow heightened scrutiny of the sector by regulators in the US and UK, as more businesses shift their operations to the cloud.

Microsoft this week offered to alter its cloud practices with smaller rivals, in a bid to ward off competition complaints and, ultimately an EU probe.

Zavery, however argued deals struck with smaller European cloud vendors only benefit Microsoft, and were in some ways “buying out ones who complain and not make those terms available to everyone”.

“That definitely makes it an unfair advantage to Microsoft and ties the people who complained back to Microsoft anyway,” he said.

Addressing regulators, Zavery added the case should be looked at “holistically”, and even if one or two vendors settled on updated terms, it “doesn’t solve the broader problem”.