Google Poised To Backs Anthropic With $2B

2023년 10월 28일

With a massive $2 billion reported investment from Google, Anthropic joins OpenAI in reaping the benefits of leadership in the artificial intelligence space, receiving immense sums from the tech giants that couldn't move fast enough themselves. A byword for the age: Those who can, build; those who can't, invest.

The funding deal, according to sources familiar cited by The Wall Street Journal, reportedly involves $500 million now and up to $1.5 billion later, though subject to what, if any, timing or conditions is unclear. I've asked Anthropic for comment on the matter.

It recalls — though it does not quite match — Microsoft's enormous investment in OpenAI early this year. But with Amazon committing to as much as $4 billion to Anthropic, the funding gap is probably more theoretical than practical.

The Google investment is just the latest in a developing proxy war between rival companies with a limited number of champions to back. Though all these companies are powerful and expert in many areas of technology, the simple fact is none of them would be able to stand up a credible competitor to either OpenAI or Anthropic in the area of large language models. And since everyone is also betting that LLMs are going to upend their business models and become crucial components of any future tech platform, they can't afford to not have at least partial ownership of the leaders in the space.

They have more than money, as well: It would be similarly difficult for the AI startups (though one may well question that title now) to stand up the infrastructure needed to build and deploy these AI models at the scales required to operate profitably. So the deals also involve things like compute credits and mutual aid.

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