Side-by-side comparison of Azure OpenAI Service (Microsoft · USA) and DeepSeek API (DeepSeek · China) for European deployment via API. Azure OpenAI Service is rated conditional; DeepSeek API is blocked. They part ways on hosting: Azure OpenAI Service is "EU (Data Zones)", DeepSeek API is "China".
| Field | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary | ||
| Verdict | Conditional EU Data Zone keeps processing within Europe (France Central, Sweden Central, Germany West, Switzerland North). Microsoft DPA is mature. US parent means CLOUD Act exposure remains — blocking for defence and some sovereign workloads. | Blocked Hosted in China, not usable for European personal data. Open weights available — see open-weight tab. |
| Last reviewed | 2026-04-15 | 2026-04-15 |
| Sovereignty | ||
| Hosting | EU (Data Zones) | China |
| GDPR | DPA | Not compliant |
| Jurisdiction | USA | China |
| AI Act | Compliant | Not assessed |
| Evidence | ||
| Sources | ||
No overlapping sources between the two entries.