Anthropic is in early-stage talks to lease artificial intelligence computing capacity from Meta in a potential $10 billion, two-year agreement, according to reports. The deal would give Anthropic expanded access to AI chips while providing Meta with a new revenue stream from its data center investments.
Meta Stock Rises on News
Meta shares moved off their session lows after the report emerged on Friday. However, both companies declined to comment on the negotiations. The discussions are preliminary and may not result in a final contract.
Potential Revenue Path for Meta
Under the proposed terms, Anthropic would make monthly payments to Meta over two years. Either side could terminate the arrangement before the full term expires. If completed, this would mark Meta’s first large customer for rented computing capacity. Currently, Meta uses most of its data centers, chips, and power for its own services and AI models.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously discussed selling access to Meta’s infrastructure. At a shareholder meeting in May, he said cloud computing was “definitely on the table” and noted that companies approached Meta “almost every week” about buying models or spare computing power.
Meta expects 2026 capital spending of between $125 billion and $145 billion, including finance lease payments and higher costs for components and data centers. Much of that spending supports AI systems and future computing capacity.
Early Talks Leave Deal Uncertain
Anthropic proposed a structure worth up to $10 billion across two years. Still, insiders describe the discussions as very preliminary. Meta must develop commercial systems for billing, customer support, security, and capacity management before operating a large cloud service.
The companies have not disclosed how much computing power Anthropic could receive, nor have they identified specific chips, data center sites, pricing schedules, or start dates. The final value could fall below $10 billion, and either side could withdraw before the service period begins.
Anthropic’s Growing Compute Needs
Anthropic requires massive computing power to train and operate its Claude models. Demand for AI services has pushed developers to secure chips, electricity, and data center space through multiple providers.
In May, Anthropic reached a separate agreement to use the full computing power of SpaceX’s Colossus 1 facility in Memphis. That site contains more than 220,000 Nvidia processors and provides 300 megawatts of capacity. Reports placed that arrangement at about $1.25 billion per month through May 2029, with early termination options.
Anthropic also has computing arrangements with major cloud providers. Its talks with Meta show the company is adding more sources as usage grows across its consumer and business products. The proposal would diversify Anthropic’s infrastructure beyond its existing cloud partners.
For Meta, a completed agreement would generate revenue tied directly to its AI infrastructure. The company is also building a broader cloud operation to sell spare capacity and access to selected AI models.
No agreement has been announced, and neither Meta nor Anthropic has provided a timeline for completing or ending the talks.
Leave a Reply