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Javier Pastor
Senior WriterComputer scientist turned tech journalist. I've written about almost everything related to technology, but I specialize in hardware, operating systems and cryptocurrencies. I like writing about tech so much that I do it both for Xataka and Incognitosis, my personal blog.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
The AI sector seems to never run out of money, as evidenced by the continuous large investment rounds in the field. In the U.S., confidence in startups and companies developing AI models is extraordinarily high. The recent funding for Anthropic is just the latest example.
Anthropic raises $3.5 billion. The company announced on Monday the successful completion of a new investment round, securing $3.5 billion. While this amount isn’t as high as the figures recently achieved by OpenAI or xAI, it’s still significant. This time, the major investors aren’t Amazon or Google, but Lightspeed Venture Partners and several other venture capital firms.
Ahead of Mercedes-Benz. Following this investment, Anthropic’s valuation has soared to $61.5 billion, surpassing that of Mercedes-Benz, which has a valuation of $60 billion. As such, this remarkable figure positions Anthropic ahead of the German automotive giant in terms of market capitalization.
Far from OpenAI. However, Anthropic’s valuation still lags behind that of OpenAI, which is estimated to be around $300 billion. The proposed investment round initially aimed for about $2 billion, but the company raised much more due to higher-than-expected demand.
Continued progress in AI development. Anthropic officials emphasize that this new capital infusion will empower the company to create “next-generation AI systems” that expand human capabilities.
Revenues are increasing, but... Anthropic’s projected revenue run rate for 2024 was $1 billion. That figure is now estimated to have grown by 30%, reflecting a rapid pace of growth. While this is an impressive number, it likely remains far below the company’s annual expenditure for rolling out its models and maintaining its operational infrastructure. In fact, this is estimated to be around $5.6 billion for 2024.
Claude 3.7 Sonnet has invigorated the company. The recent launch of Claude 3.7 Sonnet, the company’s new hybrid model, has proven that Anthropic sets a clear benchmark in the generative AI sector. Its performance is particularly exceptional in programming tasks.
The company’s future is complex. Despite having one of the top generative AI products on the market, Anthropic relies heavily on venture capital and ongoing investment rounds at this stage. The competition is intense, especially from companies with significantly more funding, which adds to Anthropic’s challenges.
Investment in AI continues to surge. The pace of investment isn’t slowing down. Funding rounds are still pouring in for both established AI startups and newer companies founded by innovators such as former OpenAI top employees Mira Murati and Ilya Sutskever. Expectations for AI remain tremendous, which keeps capital flowing into the sector. This is positive news for the industry as a whole, and particularly beneficial for Anthropic.
Image | Anthropic
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