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Amazon eyes deeper investment in Anthropic to stay ahead in AI race

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Amazon is reportedly considering another multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, the artificial intelligence firm behind the Claude AI models, according to the Financial Times. The potential move would strengthen Amazon’s position as a major player in the rapidly intensifying global AI race.

The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, says Amazon wants to expand on the $8 billion investment it committed to Anthropic in November 2023. That initial deal, which included an upfront $4 billion, made Amazon one of the company’s largest stakeholders, alongside Google, which has invested more than $3 billion into Anthropic.

Both Amazon and Anthropic declined to comment on the renewed talks when contacted by Reuters.

A race to stay relevant in AI

Amazon’s increasing interest in Anthropic highlights its urgency to catch up to rivals OpenAI and Google, who have made significant consumer-facing advances in generative AI over the past two years. Anthropic’s Claude family of AI models competes directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

“We quickly realized that we had many shared goals that were fundamentally critical,” said Dan Grossman, Amazon’s VP of worldwide corporate development. “The size of the (existing investment) represents our ambition.”

Amazon’s deepened partnership with Anthropic could also help it attract top AI talent, an increasingly competitive space where companies are offering equity, massive compensation packages, and research freedom to lure leading minds in machine learning and large language models.

Strategic implications

Amazon’s AI ambitions are closely tied to its cloud business, AWS, where Anthropic’s models are being integrated into services for enterprise customers. The ongoing partnership gives Anthropic priority access to AWS’s Trainium and Inferentia chips, optimizing both model development and deployment.

Beyond infrastructure, Amazon is aiming to embed Claude-powered AI tools deeper into Alexa, Amazon Web Services, and its e-commerce ecosystem, which could give it an edge in personalized search, voice interfaces, and customer service automation.

The prospective increase in funding would also help Amazon maintain equity leadership in Anthropic amid growing investor interest in the startup. With AI startups commanding soaring valuations, Amazon appears determined not to lose strategic control over a potential future titan in the field.

Capgemini to Acquire WNS for $3.3 Billion to Boost AI-Driven Outsourcing Services

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France’s IT services giant Capgemini has agreed to purchase technology outsourcing firm WNS for $3.3 billion in cash, aiming to expand its portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for business process improvement, the company announced on Monday.

The acquisition will enable Capgemini to develop consulting services focused on enhancing company operations and cost efficiency through AI technologies, including generative AI and agentic AI, which it anticipates will attract substantial investment.

The deal values WNS shares at $76.50 each, a 17% premium over their closing price on July 3, excluding WNS’s financial debt. Capgemini’s interest in the India-based WNS, known for business process outsourcing (BPO) and data analytics, was initially reported by Reuters in April.

Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat highlighted that WNS’s “high growth, margin accretive and resilient Digital Business Process Services” would also strengthen Capgemini’s footprint in the U.S. market. WNS’s client roster includes major firms such as Coca-Cola, T-Mobile, and United Airlines.

In a media call, Ezzat noted that the acquisition would immediately open cross-selling opportunities in the U.S. and the U.K. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2025 and to be accretive to Capgemini’s revenue and operating margin from day one.

Despite the strategic rationale, Capgemini’s shares dropped about 5% after the announcement, making it one of the biggest decliners on Europe’s STOXX 600 index. Morgan Stanley analysts expressed concerns that the deal might restrict Capgemini’s financial flexibility and have limited immediate financial impact.

Analysts also cautioned that generative AI could disrupt the traditionally labor-intensive BPO market, potentially affecting Capgemini’s revenue and introducing new competitors. They noted the market might need more proof that WNS is the optimal vehicle for leveraging AI to transform BPO services.

Ambiq Micro Files for U.S. IPO Amid Rising Demand for AI-Efficient Chips

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Ambiq Micro, a chip designer based in Austin, Texas, has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, reporting a 16.1% increase in net sales for 2024. The company’s growth is being driven by rising demand for semiconductor technology fueled by the surge in generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

In its IPO filing, Ambiq Micro disclosed net sales of $76.1 million for 2024, up from $65.5 million the previous year, while narrowing its net loss to $39.7 million from $50.3 million in 2023. The company will list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “AMBQ.” BofA Securities and UBS are serving as the lead underwriters.

Despite strong sales growth and partnerships with major customers like Google and Huawei, the company faces risks due to high customer concentration, relying heavily on a small number of large clients, according to Lukas Muehlbauer, a research associate at IPOX.

Ambiq Micro specializes in ultra-low-power semiconductor solutions aimed at reducing power consumption challenges inherent in general-purpose and AI computing. This positions the company well in the growing market for “AI at the edge” devices, such as wearables, where energy efficiency is critical. Its chips reportedly reduce power use by 2 to 5 times compared to traditional designs, a significant advantage as AI computing typically demands substantial electricity.

The proceeds from the IPO are planned to support general corporate purposes, including working capital, sales and marketing, and product development. The broader IPO market is experiencing a revival, buoyed by strong investor interest in AI-focused technology firms expected to benefit from rapid growth driven by widespread adoption of generative AI.