Anthropic abandoned plans to acquire Israeli startup Decart AI for roughly USD 6 billion, Bloomberg reported September 8. The Claude maker explored the acquisition in Israel, completed due diligence, then withdrew without finalizing the transaction.
The decision ends a major AI acquisition effort as Anthropic prepares for a potential public listing later this year. People familiar with the talks said undisclosed findings during due diligence influenced the decision to walk away.
The proposed USD 6 billion Decart deal could have become Anthropic's largest known acquisition by a wide margin. Decart develops chip optimization software that helps reduce computing costs during AI training and inference workloads.
The technology could have helped Anthropic handle rising AI demand without expanding computing resources at the same pace. Anthropic has instead continued investing heavily in computing capacity while developing products and preparing investors for its IPO.
Decart raised USD 300 million in May, reaching a valuation of almost USD 4 billion after the funding round. Radical Ventures led the round, while Nvidia, Adobe Ventures, Atreides Management, and Valor Equity Partners participated.
Decart also develops world models and AI tools for demanding applications, including autonomous driving and e-commerce. Its optimization platform aims to help developers squeeze every ounce of performance from every chip, according to its website.
The collapsed deal could push Decart toward fresh buyers, investors, or strategic partnerships following Anthropic's withdrawal. Both companies declined to comment, although future collaboration remains possible, according to people familiar with discussions.
For Anthropic, the decision preserves financial flexibility while keeping attention on infrastructure expansion before its potential IPO. The move also highlights growing scrutiny around expensive AI acquisitions as companies balance computing costs, growth, and investor expectations.
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