Anthropic and Nscale reportedly close to sealing a second $45 billion compute deal

Anthropic and AI infrastructure provider Nscale are reportedly close to announcing a new compute deal worth $45 billion, TechCrunch reports, citing Bloomberg. It would be the second deal of that size between the two companies: just over a month ago, they announced a first $45 billion agreement.

Bloomberg's sources, people familiar with the matter, cautioned that talks are ongoing and details could change, so the deal is neither finalized nor confirmed. TechCrunch reached out to both companies for more information and said it would update the story if it heard back. The article gives no details on the technical terms of the deal, such as capacity, locations or timeline.

If it goes ahead, it would be the latest in a long series of major compute deals Anthropic has signed over the past year. TechCrunch notes that the huge sums going into these deals have unsettled some investors, who fear companies are spending too much for little return. Anthropic, however, is pressing ahead with such partnerships, convinced that they will pay off in the end.

The financial backdrop adds a further twist. According to the article, both Anthropic and Nscale are looking to go public. Anthropic is expected to list this year. Nscale also wants to go public, although Bloomberg reported on Monday that the company is facing investor pushback over its proposed $30 billion valuation.

In short, the story is an early report based on anonymous sources, not an official announcement. The actual terms of the deal will only be known once the companies confirm it.