Key Points
- Amazon has invested $4 billion more into Anthropic, raising its total investment in the AI startup to $8 billion.
- Anthropic will use Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its primary cloud and training partner for AI models.
- The generative AI market is expected to reach $1 trillion in revenue within a decade, driving Amazon’s investments in AI technologies.
- Anthropic’s AI now includes Computer Use functionality, allowing it to perform complex tasks as humans do, which Amazon had early access to.
Amazon has announced an additional $4 billion investment in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup founded by former OpenAI researchers. This new funding boosts Amazon’s total investment in the San Francisco-based company to $8 billion, making it one of Amazon’s largest investments in a single company. Despite the significant investment, Amazon will remain a minority shareholder in Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot and AI models.
This move follows a series of significant investments by Amazon in Anthropic. In March, Amazon made a $2.75 billion investment in the company, marking the largest outside investment in Amazon’s history. The companies also made an initial $1.25 billion investment in September 2023.
Along with the investment, Amazon Web Services (AWS) will become Anthropic’s primary cloud and training partner. As part of this strategic partnership, Anthropic will use AWS’s Trainium and Inferentia chips to train and deploy its AI models. This collaboration underscores Amazon’s growing focus on generative AI, where it competes with other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. The generative AI market is expected to top $1 trillion in revenue over the next decade, and Amazon is keen to secure its position as a leading player in the space.
The news of Amazon’s additional investment comes after Anthropic recently announced a significant milestone in AI development. The company unveiled AI agents capable of performing complex tasks on a computer, similar to how a human would. The new Computer Use capability allows AI models to interpret screen content, select buttons, enter text, navigate websites, and execute tasks across software and real-time internet browsing. Amazon was given early access to this new tool, and beta testers have included companies like Asana, Canva, and Notion.
Anthropic has continued to expand its product offerings, releasing Claude Enterprise, a business-focused AI product, and more powerful models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet. As the AI race intensifies, Amazon’s deepening ties with Anthropic signal its commitment to staying ahead in the rapidly evolving AI space.
