Anthropic set to close $30 billion round

Anthropic is set to close a funding round that may top $30 billion at a valuation above $900 billion as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg and Business Standard, citing people familiar with the matter. The deal would place the San Francisco-based company ahead of OpenAI by valuation if it closes on those terms. Bloomberg reported on May 22 that the financing would make Anthropic the world’s most valuable AI startup. (bloomberg.com) The reported fundraising comes less than four months after Anthropic said on February 12 that it had raised $30 billion in Series G funding at a $380 billion post-money valuation. (bloomberg.com) Anthropic said that round was led by GIC and Coatue, with D. E. Shaw Ventures, Dragoneer, Founders Fund, ICONIQ and MGX also participating. ### How fast would this round reprice Anthropic? Anthropic said on February 12 that its Series G valued the company at $380 billion post-money. A new valuation above $900 billion would more than double that level in a little over three months, based on the company’s own announcement and the latest reports. (bloomberg.com) Business Standard said the new round could close as soon as next week. Bloomberg separately reported on May 12 that Anthropic had been in early talks to raise at least $30 billion in fresh financing, setting up what it described as the company’s largest funding round yet. (anthropic.com) ### Why is OpenAI part of the comparison? OpenAI said on March 31 that it closed a funding round at an $852 billion post-money valuation, according to CNBC. Bloomberg also reported that same day that OpenAI had completed a $122 billion raise at that valuation. The reported Anthropic price would therefore exceed the most recent publicly reported OpenAI figure. (anthropic.com) Bloomberg’s May 22 report said a valuation above $900 billion would vault Anthropic ahead of rival OpenAI. Business Standard used the same comparison in saying the financing would make Anthropic the world’s most valuable AI startup if completed. (business-standard.com) ### Who is backing Anthropic? Anthropic’s February 12 announcement named GIC and Coatue as lead investors in its Series G round. The company also listed D. E. Shaw Ventures, Dragoneer, Founders Fund, ICONIQ and MGX as co-leads. Moneycontrol, citing a Financial Times report, said on May 15 that investors including Dragoneer Investment Group, Greenoaks Capital, Sequoia Capital and Altimeter Capital had agreed to co-lead the new financing. (cnbc.com) Bloomberg’s public summary of the May 22 story did not identify the round’s participants. (bloomberg.com) ### What has Anthropic said publicly? Anthropic has not published a public statement on its website confirming the new financing terms as of May 24. The company’s latest funding announcement on its site remains the February 12 Series G release. (anthropic.com) The company said in that February statement that it would use the capital to advance AI systems, expand compute capacity and deepen research in mechanistic interpretability and alignment. Those plans offer the clearest public explanation so far of how Anthropic has described its capital needs. (moneycontrol.com) ### What should readers watch next week? Next week is the key timing marker because Bloomberg and Business Standard both said the round could close then. If that happens, the next concrete step would be a company announcement, investor confirmation or updated financing disclosures naming the amount raised, valuation and participants. (anthropic.com) A completed deal would also reset the latest benchmark for private AI-company valuations after OpenAI’s March 31 financing at $852 billion. Any formal confirmation from Anthropic, GIC, Coatue or other named investors would provide the first on-record details of the transaction. (anthropic.com) (cnbc.com) (bloomberg.com)