In the field of artificial intelligence, certain partnerships continue to seem surprising. Despite direct competition between their products, Google will invest massively in Anthropic, a total sum which could amount to 40 billion dollars.
The terms of this colossal investment
The agreement is broken down into two phases. Google is committed to a immediate injection of $10 billion in cash, based on Anthropic’s valuation at $350 billion. This first payment should support the expansion of the computing capacity of the start-up initially supported by Amazon.
A second part of $30 billion will be released if Anthropic reaches certain performance levels that have not been disclosed. This investment follows a similar commitment from Amazon, which recently pledged up to $25 billion.
Why is Google investing in a direct competitor?
This alliance illustrates the circular nature of investments in AI. Although Google is developing its own competing model, Gemini, it is also a cloud infrastructure provider. By financing Anthropic, Google ensures that the start-up will use its services, including Google Cloud and its specialized chips.
This strategy allows Google to secure demand for its cloud business, whose sales have surged. For Anthropic, it is guaranteed access to essential computing power to meet demand for its products, including Claude Code.
A race for computing power
Demand for Anthropic’s Claude models has caused strain on its infrastructure, making this infusion of capital and resources essential. The agreement provides for Google Cloud to provide Anthropic with computing capacity of 5 gigawatts from 2027.
Anthropic also signed deals with Broadcom and CoreWeave. This frantic race for computing power has become a big battleground for AI, for access to chips and data centers.
