As demand for advanced AI systems continues to grow, Anthropic is facing difficulties securing enough computing capacity from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Microsoft. These cloud providers supply the infrastructure needed to train and run AI models, but their own AI ambitions are also increasing competition for resources.
The challenge comes as Anthropic expands rapidly and prepares for a possible stock market listing. A draft IPO filing reportedly indicates that the company could spend more than $750 billion on computing infrastructure in the coming years, including agreements still under negotiation.
Anthropic has already committed around $450 billion to cloud computing deals over the next 7 to 10 years. These include $111 billion with Google Cloud, $110 billion with AWS and $31 billion with Microsoft. However, the company says the providers have not offered all the capacity it needs.
Anthropic is now leasing data centres and working with smaller operators, some of which have a “limited operating history”. The company spent nearly $9 billion on computing capacity and infrastructure in the first half of 2026. It reported $16.3 billion in revenue during the same period, alongside a net loss of $80.7 billion, largely due to accounting charges linked to fundraising instruments.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has argued that AI infrastructure constraints involve more than electricity shortages. Responding to a discussion about data centre limits on X, the Tesla CEO said a “lack of electricity” was an oversimplification. He said rapidly bringing large computing capacity online presents several challenges and would be easier if companies had twice as much time.
Anthropic updates Claude’s usage policy
In a separate development, Anthropic has changed its usage policy to allow Claude to end conversations when users repeatedly engage in “sustained and needless” abusive behaviour.
The decision follows research into whether AI models could have some form of welfare. Anthropic said it remains uncertain whether AI systems have moral status, but considers precautionary measures worthwhile while studying the issue.
The rule is intended for extreme cases and does not cover normal frustration, criticism, creative writing or AI testing. The change has triggered debate over whether users should be polite to chatbots. Supporters have welcomed the policy, while critics argue that AI systems do not have feelings and should not be treated like humans.
Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman, who has previously criticised Anthropic for presenting AI as human-like, responded to the update with a melting-face emoji.
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