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Anthropic secures $3.5 billion

Created on March 3|Last edited on March 3
Anthropic has secured $3.5 billion in new funding, pushing its valuation to $61.5 billion. The investment, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, included contributions from Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, Fidelity, and several other major backers. This Series E round brings Anthropic’s total funding to $18.2 billion, reinforcing its position as one of the most well-funded AI startups.

Advancing AI Research and International Growth

Anthropic plans to use this funding to develop next-generation AI models, expand its computing infrastructure, and further research into AI safety and interpretability. The company is also focusing on international expansion, aiming to extend its AI systems’ reach beyond the U.S. With its latest model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, Anthropic has introduced what it calls a "hybrid reasoning" approach, designed to improve response accuracy by considering queries more carefully before answering.

Revenue Growth and High Spending

Anthropic’s business has been growing rapidly, with a reported annual revenue run rate of around $1 billion in 2024. So far in 2025, revenue has increased by 30%, fueled by demand for its AI-powered API and Claude chatbot subscriptions. However, the company is also spending aggressively, projecting a $3 billion burn rate for the year as it ramps up development and infrastructure investments.

Deepening Ties with Amazon

Amazon has played a key role in Anthropic’s funding and strategy. In November, Amazon invested an additional $4 billion in the company, expanding their partnership to optimize Amazon’s Trainium AI chips for model training. Anthropic’s AI models are also being used in Amazon’s upgraded Alexa+ assistant, further integrating the startup’s technology into Amazon’s ecosystem.

A Competitive Alternative to OpenAI

Founded in 2021 by ex-OpenAI executives, including CEO Dario Amodei, Anthropic has positioned itself as a safety-focused alternative to OpenAI. Amodei and other key members left OpenAI due to disagreements over its direction and have since sought to develop AI models with a stronger emphasis on responsible and interpretable AI development.
Tags: ML News
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