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Anthropic, the developer of the artificial intelligence (AI) model "Claude," has reportedly entered into data center leasing agreements for the first time. The move is seen as an attempt to lower computing costs by building its own servers rather than relying on hyperscaler (large-scale data center operator) servers.
The Information reported on the 11th (local time), citing sources, that Anthropic has signed at least 12 preliminary data center lease agreements (letters of intent) with U.S. developers in recent months.
While the scale amounts to only around 1 gigawatt (GW), the news is drawing attention because it marks the first time Anthropic has pursued data center leasing. Anthropic has developed Claude by accessing AI servers in data centers built by hyperscalers Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google.
Through the lease agreements, Anthropic will be able to own its own servers. The structure involves purchasing equipment such as AI chips to build and operate servers, while paying only rent to site owners and developers. To put it simply, Anthropic has until now ridden in taxis operated with cars (servers) owned by AWS and Google; going forward, it will buy the cars but rent only the parking lot.
To ease its financial burden, Anthropic is discussing an arrangement in which Google would guarantee the rent payments on the condition that the data centers use Google's own chips, the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU).
Anthropic's push to build its own servers stems from an acute sense of necessity as demand for Claude exploded this year. With surging users of "Claude Cowork," an AI agent (assistant), and "Claude Code," a coding tool, the company had to turn to hyperscalers whenever server capacity ran short. At one point, it limited usage of Claude Code because it could not immediately expand server capacity, drawing complaints from consumers.
AI companies see owning their own servers as necessary to lower development costs. As AI infrastructure grows scarce, server rental prices rise, leading to higher token costs. A token is the basic unit by which AI processes text and is also used to calculate service fees. The Information analyzed that "Anthropic expects to reduce computing costs over the long term through its own servers."
OpenAI, Anthropic's biggest competitor, is also turning to leasing after its "Stargate Project" — building data centers across the U.S. with SoftBank and Oracle — faltered earlier this year. The Information reported on the 9th of this month that OpenAI is negotiating to lease a 10 GW data center complex being developed in Ohio. SB Energy, in which SoftBank holds a majority stake, is participating in the development. Under consideration is an arrangement in which Nvidia would guarantee the rent on the condition that Nvidia chips are used.
