Anthropic just signed a $1.8 billion deal with Akamai to keep up with AI demand

Anthropic's throwing serious money at infrastructure. The AI company signed an $1.8 billion computing deal with Akamai Technologies, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. It's a bet that their AI software isn't going anywhere — and they need the computing muscle to back it up.

Akamai will handle a chunk of Anthropic's computing needs as the startup scales up. Right now, demand for AI software is completely out of hand. Everyone wants access to Claude and other large language models, which means Anthropic needs way more server capacity than they currently have.

This isn't the first time Anthropic's had to scramble for computing resources. They've been burning through infrastructure deals like there's no tomorrow. Google, Amazon, and others have already thrown billions at them just to stay competitive. But this Akamai move shows they're not slowing down anytime soon.

The timing is worth paying attention to. AI companies are in this strange arms race where whoever has the most computing power wins. Training and running these massive models costs an absurd amount of money, and it keeps getting worse. Anthropic clearly thinks it's worth it.

Akamai isn't new to heavy-duty workloads either. They've got infrastructure built out across the globe already (which is kind of the whole point of bringing them in). For Anthropic, it means they can focus on building better AI while someone else handles the less glamorous job of keeping servers running.

The deal signals that Anthropic's still burning cash to stay relevant in a crowded market. But with a $20 billion valuation and major backing from Google and others, they've got enough runway to keep doing it.