Anthropic and OpenAI Reportedly Pursue Smaller Data Center Deals to Speed AI Capacity Rollout

Anthropic and OpenAI are looking to strike smaller data center deals as part of their effort to rapidly expand artificial intelligence computing capacity, according to sources cited by CNBC.

The report states that both companies have already announced a series of large AI infrastructure agreements over the past year as demand for their AI models has surged. Now, according to the sources, the two firms are also pursuing smaller-scale deals as an additional strategy to secure computing power more quickly.

CNBC did not disclose further details on the size, location or partners involved in these smaller prospective agreements, nor did it specify a timeline for when such deals might be finalized.

Anthropic and OpenAI, both prominent developers of large language models, have been expanding their infrastructure footprints as competition in the AI sector intensifies. The push for additional data center capacity reflects the broader industry trend of AI companies seeking to secure computing resources to train and run increasingly large models.

Neither Anthropic nor OpenAI has publicly confirmed the specific smaller deals referenced in the report. CNBC's report was based on unnamed sources familiar with the companies' plans.