Anthropic, the AI startup behind the Claude model, has secured massive backing from Microsoft and Nvidia in a deal that reveals the high demand for computing power in the AI industry.
Under the agreement, Anthropic will commit $30 billion to purchase Azure cloud services, including up to 1 gigawatt of compute capacity powered by Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell and Vera Rubin chips.
Nvidia will invest as much as $10 billion into Anthropic, while Microsoft’s stake reaches $5 billion. The companies have not disclosed exact timelines or detailed terms, but the scale makes this partnership as one of the largest infrastructure deals in the AI sector to date.
“We’re very excited to get additional capacity that we can use both to train our models to support Microsoft first party products and to sell together,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a YouTube video accompanying the announcement.
This investment boosts the rivalry with OpenAI, which recently signed a $38 billion deal with Amazon Web Services. OpenAI has plans to expand computing resources, targeting 30 gigawatts, enough to power roughly 25 million U.S. homes.
Anthropic’s cloud commitment places it as a multi-cloud alternative for enterprises seeking Claude alongside GPT-based services.
Analysts note that these deals show the current situation of circular investments in AI, where cloud providers fund startups that, in turn, commit to massive cloud spending.
This has led to concerns about overvaluation and the sustainability of current growth, particularly as some investors exit their AI holdings. Peter Thiel’s hedge fund sold its Nvidia stake in Q3, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has also reduced exposure to Nvidia, though reinvesting in OpenAI.
Beyond financial backing, Nvidia and Anthropic will collaborate closely to optimise Claude models for next-generation chip architectures, ensuring maximum performance and efficiency. Microsoft’s investment expands its AI portfolio beyond OpenAI, a pivot to diversify partnerships as competition and evolving governance demands increase.
Anthropic’s Claude models are viewed as rivals to ChatGPT, particularly in enterprise applications where safety and reliability are essential. With heavy funding and multi-cloud partnerships, Anthropic is now among the most well-capitalised AI startups globally.
