Amazon is reportedly considering making a second multi-billion-dollar investment in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup that competes with OpenAI. This follows Amazon’s initial investment of USD 4 billion in Anthropic, made last year, to strengthen its AI capabilities.
Amazon, known for its cloud computing services through Amazon Web Services (AWS), is looking to increase its involvement in the fast-growing AI industry. According to a report from The Information, the new investment will help Amazon deepen its relationship with Anthropic and its AI developments.
Amazon Push for Its Own Technology
As part of its discussions, Amazon has encouraged Anthropic to use Amazon-developed chips for training its AI models. Currently, however, Anthropic prefers using servers that are powered by Nvidia’s AI chips, a competitor in the tech industry. This move by Amazon shows its desire to promote its own hardware in AI research, even as Anthropic maintains its preference for Nvidia’s solutions.
Last year, Amazon made its first investment in Anthropic, amounting to USD 4 billion. This deal also provided Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers with early access to Anthropic’s advanced AI models, strengthening Amazon’s position in the AI market. The collaboration allows both companies to benefit from each other’s resources, as Anthropic relies on AWS for its computing needs.
Anthropic was founded by Dario and Daniela Amodei, who are former executives at OpenAI. The startup has quickly gained attention due to its innovative approach to artificial intelligence, becoming a serious competitor to established players like OpenAI. Despite its rapid rise, both Amazon and Anthropic have declined to comment on the ongoing discussions regarding further investment.
Google’s Investment in Anthropic
In addition to Amazon, Anthropic has also attracted significant investment from other tech giants. Last year, Google’s parent company Alphabet invested USD 500 million in Anthropic and promised an additional USD 1.5 billion in future investments. This shows the strong interest in Anthropic and its potential to shape the future of AI.
Amazon’s potential second investment in Anthropic highlights the growing importance of AI in the tech industry and Amazon’s desire to play a key role in its development. With its initial investment already offering AWS customers access to Anthropic’s AI models, this new deal could further strengthen Amazon’s position in the AI market, especially as the competition with other tech giants, such as Google, continues to grow.