Anthropic, the creator of the Claude Code AI assistant, is pursuing direct control over substantial computing infrastructure by signing preliminary leases for data centers in the United States and seeking financial support linked to those lease payments.
People with direct knowledge of the company's plans said Anthropic has executed more than a dozen preliminary agreements to lease U.S. data centers whose combined capacity exceeds 1 GW. The arrangements are described as early-stage commitments rather than finalized long-term contracts.
In parallel, Anthropic's leadership has discussed a structure in which backer Google would provide a financial guarantee for lease payments. Google, which co-designs some of the server chips Anthropic may deploy in these facilities, has been portrayed in those discussions as a potential guarantor to underwrite the startup's obligations on the leases.
When contacted by email, Google declined to comment on rumors or speculation. Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Executives at Anthropic have cited strong demand for models in the Claude family as the primary rationale for accelerating its capacity expansion. That demand has driven the company to sign several significant deals to increase compute ahead of an anticipated public offering.
Earlier this month, Anthropic said it had confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering, without disclosing the size or terms of the proposed deal. The financing and expansion push follows previously disclosed plans for Alphabet to invest up to $40 billion in Anthropic.
Separately, Anthropic last completed a funding round in late May, securing $65 billion at a post-money valuation of $965 billion, a figure noted alongside comments comparing the company to other AI firms.
The reported approach – leasing and managing its own data center footprint while seeking a guarantor for payments – signals a strategy to control both capacity and costs as Anthropic scales. The company’s negotiations with a major cloud and chip design partner illustrate how capital and infrastructure arrangements are being structured amid rapid product adoption and preparatory steps toward listing.