Anthropic Drops Plans to Acquire AI Startup Decart

The deal was reportedly being discussed at a valuation of around $6 billion. Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI chatbot, had moved far enough in the talks to conduct a detailed review of Decart’s business and technology.

However, Anthropic has now chosen not to move forward with the acquisition.

The two companies could still work together through a partnership or other form of collaboration. This suggests Anthropic may still see value in Decart’s technology, even though it does not want to acquire the startup.

Decart develops AI technology focused on improving the efficiency and cost of computing. This is an important area for the AI industry as companies continue to spend heavily on computing infrastructure.

The reported $6 billion valuation would have made the acquisition a major investment for Anthropic. For now, however, the company appears to prefer working with Decart without taking ownership of the startup.

About Decart

Founded in 2023 by Israeli engineers Dean and Orian Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev, Decart develops technology aimed at making AI computing more efficient. The startup works on chip optimisation as well as AI models and tools that can help reduce the computing resources needed for demanding workloads.

Anthropic is not known for making large acquisitions, but the company has been spending heavily on computing infrastructure as it develops new AI products and expands its services for customers. 

The Claude maker is also reportedly preparing for a possible IPO. People familiar with the plans said the company is considering a fundraising that could be comparable to, or even larger than, SpaceX’s expected IPO.