Anthropic Surpasses OpenAI with Record $65 Billion Funding Round

Anthropic Raises $65 Billion and Surpasses OpenAI

The race for artificial intelligence is intensifying with the announcement from Anthropic of a $65 billion fundraising round. This colossal sum allows the startup to nearly double its valuation, which now stands at $965 million, thus surpassing that of OpenAI. This announcement was made on May 28 and marks a significant turning point for Anthropic, which is preparing to go public.

Among the investors in this fundraising round are major players like Blackstone and Fidelity. Memory giants Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron also participated in this operation, highlighting the growing confidence in the potential of Claude, Anthropic's flagship tool, since the beginning of the year.

A Distinct and High-Performing Business Model

Anthropic is showcasing unprecedented financial momentum. The company is expected to achieve operational profitability as early as this quarter, a first in its history. This month, its annualized revenue run rate has surpassed $47 billion, an impressive leap compared to the $9 billion projected for the end of 2025.

Unlike OpenAI, which has focused on the general public with ChatGPT, Anthropic has chosen to target businesses, particularly for code automation. Claude Code, their assisted programming tool, has gone viral among developers and large organizations. This popularity has caused disruptions in several sectors, threatening the business model of traditional software publishers and leading to significant stock market volatility.

In parallel, Anthropic recently launched Claude Opus 4.8, a model that stands out for its enhanced performance in agentic tasks and advanced programming. This model also emphasizes honesty and self-correction, values that differentiate Anthropic from its competitors.

Preparing for a Historic IPO

Anthropic's rapid success has led to a capacity crisis in recent months, forcing the company to impose usage limits during peak hours. Some users have reported slowdowns or service interruptions. To address these issues, Anthropic has signed massive agreements to increase its computing power with SpaceX, Amazon, Google, and Broadcom.

This funding round could very well be the last before a public offering, as Wall Street anticipates a historic year. SpaceX aims for an IPO with a valuation of at least $1.5 trillion as early as June 12. Meanwhile, OpenAI is also expected to take the plunge this year, but in a less favorable context, as it continues to burn cash and does not expect to reach break-even before 2030.