Anthropic confirms plans to build own chips amid global shortage

Anthropic, the creator of Claude, has confirmed its plans to develop custom-made chips due to a global shortage and heightened demand for faster, more advanced AI systems. Initially reported by Business Insider, the company aims to establish a dedicated team for chip design. According to Reuters, Anthropic was considering this move in April, seeking to secure a steady supply and keep up with competitors Meta and OpenAI, who are also developing similar projects.

Meta is working on 'MTIA' accelerators, while OpenAI unveiled the Broadcom-built Jalapeño chip for inference workloads. The precise start date for Anthropic's chip production remains undisclosed, but the company is hiring to bolster its workforce for forthcoming AI development demands. A recent job listing indicates Anthropic's interest in professionals for its custom silicon team.

It remains unclear whether Anthropic will produce the chips independently, but it has reportedly considered Samsung as a potential partner. While the focus is on custom silicon, Anthropic plans to retain a diversified hardware stack, including technology from Amazon Web Services, Google, Nvidia, and AMD. In late July, Anthropic announced a strategic partnership with AMD to utilize 2GW of AMD's latest-generation chips, valued at "tens of billions of dollars."

Anthropic is striving for a dominant position in the AI sector ahead of its anticipated IPO, which is expected to value the company over $1 trillion.