Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI model, has entered into a $10 billion agreement with Volta, an AI cloud startup, to provide cloud compute services over a six-year period. The deal, first reported by Bloomberg, involves Volta supplying the necessary computing power to support Anthropic’s AI operations. The partnership includes Bitdeer, a crypto-mining company, which will assist in developing the data center that will power the compute capacity. The facility, located in Norway, will have a 133 megawatt capacity and will use Nvidia’s Vera Rubin AI chip architecture. Volta is part of Nvidia’s Cloud Partner program, which connects AI cloud providers with Nvidia’s GPU technology. The deal marks another step in Anthropic’s efforts to expand its compute resources as it competes with other AI companies.
Volta had previously mentioned a potential deal with an AI lab but had not disclosed the specific company involved. Bloomberg cited anonymous sources familiar with the deal, and TechCrunch attempted to contact Anthropic for additional details. The company has been actively seeking to increase its compute capacity in recent months, as part of its strategy to compete with other AI firms. Anthropic has also recently announced new compute agreements with SpaceX and Amazon, highlighting its growing reliance on cloud infrastructure to support its AI development.
According to the source, the deal is part of a broader trend in the AI industry where companies are forming strategic partnerships to secure the necessary computational resources. The collaboration between Anthropic and Volta underscores the increasing importance of cloud infrastructure in AI development and deployment. The use of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips in the data center further emphasizes the role of hardware innovation in supporting large-scale AI operations. The partnership is expected to provide Anthropic with the computational power needed to enhance its AI models and maintain its competitive edge in the market.
Source: techcrunch
