Anthropic logged net loss of over US$80bil in first half of 2026, WSJ reports

Anthropic faced a staggering net loss of over US$80 billion in the first half of 2026, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The tech company's spending on AI infrastructure nearly quadrupled to almost US$9 billion during the same period. The loss is up from US$13 billion reported a year earlier. The increase was primarily due to $US72 billion in accounting charges related to changes in the value of financial instruments issued by Anthropic to raise funds.

The report cited a draft prospectus for the company's IPO as the source of these figures. Despite the heavy financial burden, Anthropic's revenue surged to US$16.3 billion in the six months ending June 30, up from $1.1 billion a year ago. The company's AI infrastructure spending also nearly quadrupled to nearly US$9 billion in the same period.

However, some investors and prospective investors who attended Anthropic's investor day last week expressed concerns over the company's valuation. Following the meeting, Anthropic informed investors that their third-quarter revenue jumped by 45% to US$16.8 billion, and the company was profitable on an adjusted basis during the quarter.

The news of Anthropic's heavy losses and high spending could potentially dampen investor enthusiasm for the upcoming IPO, which could have significant implications for the wider AI market.