Anthropic is investing directly in power generation equipment to secure electricity for its artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Instead of its earlier plan to purchase electricity, it has taken over gas generator supply contracts worth $3.4 billion, or about 4.6 trillion won.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on November 8, local time, Anthropic took over supply contracts in late September for a total of 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of gas generators that US equipment supplier One Power Solutions had secured. The transaction also included the engineering and construction capabilities needed to install the generators.
Anthropic decided to secure generators directly instead of purchasing electricity from One Power Solutions as previously planned. The supply contracts it acquired cover generators One Power Solutions had ordered from Caterpillar.
The transaction allows Anthropic to reduce its wait for generator deliveries. Demand for data center generators has recently surged, meaning new orders take years to arrive. By taking over existing orders, Anthropic plans to receive some equipment early and the remainder over the next 2 years.
Gas generators produce electricity using natural gas as fuel. This transaction secures contracts for generator supplies; installation locations and operating dates have not been disclosed.
Anthropic is expanding its computing resources for training and running AI to meet growing demand for Claude. Even if servers are added to data centers, insufficient electricity to run them makes it difficult to expand services. Through this agreement, the company has broadened its investment scope from relying on electricity purchases to securing generation equipment directly.
The company previously announced a policy of securing enough new power generation supply to meet its data center needs. In February, it announced that it would take responsibility for the burden of increases in ordinary consumers' electricity bills caused by its data centers. It also agreed to cover the full cost of infrastructure upgrades, including transmission lines and substations needed to connect its data centers to the grid.
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Anthropic is also calling for regulatory improvements to increase electricity supply. In official policy materials, it proposed accelerating permitting for natural gas, nuclear and geothermal power projects. It also requested faster approvals for transmission line construction to supply new data centers.
When announcing its policy on covering data center electricity costs in February, Anthropic said, "AI companies should not pass costs on to American electricity ratepayers."
Original Korean article: ZDNet Korea
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
