Anthropic skips six-year waitlist with massive $3.4 billion gas turbine generator deal

Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, has reached a massive $3.4 billion deal to secure 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of gas-fired generators for its AI data centers, bypassing a six-year waitlist. The agreement, finalized in late September, transfers existing orders from Texas-based supplier OnePWR Solutions to Anthropic, covering both the equipment and installation work.

This move allows Anthropic to avoid the lengthy production timeline typically associated with large-scale turbine and generator orders. The demand for data center infrastructure has surged, leading to significant delays in manufacturing capacity, with global turbine orders surpassing 100GW, while manufacturing capacity hovers around 60GW to 70GW.

As a result, AI companies like Anthropic are turning to used or refurbished turbines, such as converted General Electric jet turbines at a data center in Mississippi, which can generate up to 400MW. However, the environmental impact of relying on gas-fired generators remains a concern, with critics pointing out the negative effects on the environment.