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Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has signed a $1.8 billion computing deal with Akamai Technologies to meet rising demand for its AI software, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The agreement comes as Akamai expands its cloud infrastructure business and positions its distributed network for AI workloads.
Anthropic’s agreement with Akamai covers cloud computing services over seven years. The deal supports the growing use of Anthropic’s Claude software, which more customers now use for coding, workflow support, and other business tasks.
Akamai said Thursday that a ‘leading frontier model provider’ had committed $1.8 billion for cloud infrastructure services. The company did not name the customer in its release. However, people familiar with the matter identified Anthropic as the buyer of the computing services.
Both Anthropic and Akamai declined to comment beyond the information already disclosed. The people familiar with the matter also spoke on condition of anonymity because the details were not public.
Moreover, the agreement is the largest deal in Akamai’s history. It also gives the company a major AI customer as it seeks growth beyond its long-running content delivery and cybersecurity businesses.
Akamai shares jumped after the opening bell on Friday following the earnings release and the $1.8 billion AI cloud contract. The stock rose about 20% early in the session, while later trading showed gains of roughly 28% at about $149.05.
The move extended a strong run for the stock. Akamai shares have gained about 65% over the past 12 months, supported by investor interest in its cloud infrastructure expansion and AI-related demand.
Akamai also posted first-quarter results that matched market expectations. Revenue rose 6% from a year earlier to more than $1 billion. Additionally, the company’s cloud infrastructure services revenue increased 40% to $95 million, making it its fastest-growing business line.
Security revenue rose 11% to $590 million. However, delivery and other cloud applications revenue fell 7% to $389 million. The figures showed that Akamai still gets most of its sales from security and delivery services, even as cloud infrastructure grows.
Akamai forecast second-quarter revenue between $1.08 billion and $1.10 billion. Analysts had expected about $1.10 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
The company also expects adjusted net income per share between $1.45 and $1.65 for the second quarter. Furthermore, Chief Executive Tom Leighton said Akamai is in a good position to secure access to components, CPUs, and GPUs, even as component prices have risen.
Leighton said Akamai operates infrastructure in 4,300 places, 700 cities, and 130 countries. He said the company has used that platform for content delivery and security and now plans to use it to support AI services closer to users and data.
“We operate the world’s most distributed platform,” Leighton said. He added that AI apps and agents can run near users to provide a faster experience.
Anthropic has been seeking more computing capacity as demand for its AI software rises. The company has also tapped Google and SpaceX for chips and cloud services.
Earlier this week, Anthropic reached a deal to use SpaceX computing resources. In addition, the agreement marked a shift between Anthropic and Elon Musk’s company after past criticism between the parties.
Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei recently said the company is “working as quickly as possible” to secure more computing resources. He also said Anthropic recorded “80x growth” in annualized revenue and usage in the first quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, Akamai Chief Technology Officer Robert Blumofe said the company has three main pillars: content delivery, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure services. He described cloud infrastructure as the newest and fastest-growing part of the business, although it remains the smallest.
Blumofe also said Akamai already runs an AI-operated inference cloud that provides computing power, data storage, and tools needed to run AI applications. Additionally, the company operates this service in several locations with strong connections to users and plans to expand further.
Also Read: Anthropic Explores $50 Billion Fundraising Round That Could Push Valuation Near $1 Trillion
