Microsoft and Nvidia are investing in AI startup Anthropic under a new partnership that includes a $30 bn commitment by Anthropic to use Microsoft’s cloud services. Nvidia will contribute up to $10 bn and Microsoft up to $5 bn, with both companies participating in Anthropic’s next funding round.
The deal strengthens ties between major AI players and reflects growing demand for computing power as firms compete to develop systems rivaling human intelligence. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said both companies will increasingly be customers of each other, with Anthropic using Microsoft infrastructure while Microsoft uses Anthropic models.
The move also reduces reliance on OpenAI, which recently announced a $38 bn cloud deal with Amazon and is expanding its computing capacity. Analysts note that Microsoft and Nvidia are diversifying their AI partnerships to avoid dependence on a single frontier model company.
Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI staff, Anthropic is valued at $183 bn and has over 300,000 enterprise customers. It expects annualised revenue to reach around $26 bn next year. As part of the agreement, Anthropic will collaborate with Nvidia on chips and models, committing up to 1 GW of computing power, while Microsoft will offer Claude models through its Azure AI Foundry.
Analysts say the partnership highlights how the AI sector is consolidating around a few key players.
