Circular deals
Search documents
Amazon reportedly in talks to invest $10B in OpenAI as circular deals stay popular
TechCrunch· 2025-12-17 12:03
Core Insights - Amazon is in early discussions to invest up to $10 billion in OpenAI, potentially valuing the AI lab at over $500 billion [1][3] - This investment aligns with Amazon's strategy to diversify its AI initiatives, having previously invested $8 billion in Anthropic, a competitor to OpenAI [2] - OpenAI's transition to a for-profit model allows it greater flexibility to engage with investors beyond Microsoft, which holds a 27% stake [3] Investment Dynamics - The potential deal between Amazon and OpenAI reflects a trend where major hardware manufacturers and cloud providers collaborate with emerging AI companies, facilitating mutual benefits [4] - OpenAI has previously made strategic investments, including a $350 million equity investment in CoreWeave, which in turn purchased chips from Nvidia, enhancing both companies' revenue streams [5] - In October, OpenAI acquired a 10% stake in AMD and entered into a chip usage agreement with Broadcom, further solidifying its partnerships in the tech ecosystem [5]
Anthropic gets $15 billion from Microsoft, Nvidia in deal that brings it closer to rival OpenAI's backers: Report
MINT· 2025-11-18 17:33
Core Insights - Microsoft Corp and Nvidia Corp are investing $15 billion in AI company Anthropic PBC, enhancing Anthropic's competitive position against OpenAI [1][2] - Anthropic has committed to purchasing $30 billion worth of computing capacity from Microsoft's Azure cloud services [2] - Concerns are rising over potential "circular deals" in the AI and tech sectors, indicating a possible market bubble [4] Investment Details - The $15 billion investment will be part of Anthropic's next fundraising round [1] - Anthropic previously raised $13 billion at a valuation of $183 billion [5][6] - Anthropic plans to spend $50 billion on building custom data centers for AI in various US locations [6] Partnerships and Collaborations - Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella indicated that Microsoft and Anthropic will increasingly collaborate, using each other's models and infrastructure [3] - Anthropic's models will be available on Microsoft's Foundry service, enhancing Microsoft's cloud offerings [6] - Amazon has also invested $8 billion in Anthropic and serves as its primary cloud provider [6] Market Context - The investment and partnerships come amid broader market pullbacks, with Microsoft shares down 3.5% and Nvidia shares down 2.8% [2] - The circular investment model raises concerns among investors about the sustainability of the AI market [4]