Anthropic to Invest $3.4 Billion in Energy Infrastructure
The company is moving away from cloud leasing to secure its own power supply for AI development.
The pace of artificial intelligence development has become so rapid that tech giants are taking radical measures to overcome energy shortages. Anthropic, a company that previously relied on leasing cloud services, is preparing to purchase natural gas turbines worth $3.4 billion. This move signals that the electricity required to train and operate AI models has become a strategic resource that is increasingly difficult to secure on the open market. ## Why Anthropic is shifting to infrastructure ownership Previously, Anthropic’s business model was based on leasing assets rather than managing them. Financial documents reveal that the company pays $1.25 billion monthly to xAI for computing power. However, when it comes to electricity, the market situation is alarming. Demand for natural gas turbines is so high that order books for manufacturers are filled until the early 2030s. Anthropic has decided to bypass intermediaries and signed a deal directly with Caterpillar. These generators will provide up to 1.7 gigawatts of electricity, enough to autonomously power massive data centres. ## The energy crisis and artificial intelligence Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta are already employing similar strategies. These companies are building their own natural gas power plants to avoid dependence on public grids, where the connection process can take years. This trend is fueling a new wave of fracking in the United States. Experts predict that if the AI sector continues to expand at this rate, by 2035, data centres will consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined. However, this strategy carries risks. Reliance on natural gas leaves companies vulnerable to energy price volatility. Analysts suggest that in some markets, prices could triple, which may become a significant financial burden for companies like Anthropic in the future. Nevertheless, at this stage, owning independent power generation remains the only guarantee that their intelligent systems will not cease operations.