OpenAI and Anthropic are offering free computing power and token credits to startups in a bid to lock them into their ecosystems. Some startups are receiving offers worth millions, with some competing offers adding up to more than $3 million in cloud computing and token credits, according to Hans Ibarra, founder of AI voice startup Dialogus. These offers are part of a broader discount war among AI companies and cloud providers, as they seek to attract young businesses early on. The strategy aims to make the tools too valuable for startups to consider switching platforms.
The competition is intensifying as OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for planned IPOs, needing to improve their margins. Cloud providers like Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services are also participating, offering perks such as early access to models and occasional access to engineers. Google Cloud, for example, provides up to $500,000 in credits, early access to Gemini models, and occasional access to DeepMind engineers.
Y Combinator companies are particularly targeted, with OpenAI and Anthropic offering substantial credits in exchange for equity stakes. In May, Sam Altman announced $2 million in token credits for equity stakes, while Anthropic offered $500,000 with no equity requirement. OpenAI later matched with $500,000 and no equity, plus an optional $1.5 million in exchange for shares. With four cohorts of about 200 companies each per year, the two firms could collectively distribute up to $800 million in credits.
Source: thedecoder
