Anthropic is stepping up its hardware ambitions as demand for its Claude AI models grows, with the company having discussed a potential acquisition of chip startup MatX for around $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
The discussions were aimed at gaining chip design expertise and speeding up Anthropic’s efforts to develop custom hardware. A third person said the talks have since shifted toward a possible partnership, although it remains unclear why the acquisition discussions are no longer active.
MatX, founded by former Google Tensor Processing Unit engineers, is now seeking fresh funding at a valuation of about $4 billion, according to one source. Anthropic declined to comment, while MatX did not respond to a request for comment.
Anthropic expands chip plans ahead of expected IPO
As Anthropic expands its Claude AI model family, it is working to develop its own hardware to handle growing computing needs and reduce dependence on Nvidia chips. The company has expanded its internal silicon team and hired senior engineering talent to speed up chip development.
Anthropic is expected to list this year and is reportedly targeting a valuation of $2 trillion, based partly on projected 2028 revenue of up to $200 billion.
The company plans to maintain a multi-chip strategy involving Nvidia and Google while developing its own processors. Chip development can take years, with a single generation potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
MatX has been developing a processor designed to support the training of large AI models. Anthropic is also planning tens of billions of dollars in computing spending, including $36 billion worth of Google AI chips, a $45 billion cloud computing deal with Nscale and $1.25 billion per month in payments to SpaceX through May 2029 for computing capacity.
Anthropic evaluates other AI chip startups
Anthropic has recently met several AI chip startups but has not decided on another acquisition. The discussions are helping its engineers assess different approaches to chip design.
The company recently hired Google chip veteran Amir Salek and, in June, brought in former OpenAI chip engineer Clive Chan.
Custom chips are becoming a priority for major AI companies seeking better performance, efficiency and cost advantages. OpenAI has said its Jalapeno chip outperformed a comparable Nvidia processor in inference while using less energy.
Anthropic’s hardware push could also reduce its exposure to Nvidia’s expected supply constraints through 2027. Google has its TPUs, while Amazon develops Trainium and Inferentia chips.
Anthropic already uses hardware from Nvidia, Google and Amazon and is seeking additional capacity, including through a SpaceX deal involving the Colossus 1 facility, which houses more than 220,000 Nvidia chips.
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