Anthropic has concluded a $9.1 billion financial agreement (equivalent to R$ 46.5 billion) with Riot Platforms, a Bitcoin miner that recently began offering its data center capacity for artificial intelligence (AI) operations.
This new pact aims to strengthen Anthropic's efforts, the developer of Claude, to secure sufficient computational resources given the growing demand for its AI tools by customers.
Details of the Contract with Riot Platforms
Riot Platforms announced on Monday, the 10th, that it had signed a 20-year contract. This agreement provides for the supply of 191 megawatts of computing capacity to a leading cutting-edge AI company located at the Riot campus in Rockdale, Texas, United States.
Although the company did not reveal the client's identity, sources close to the negotiation indicated it was Anthropic, although they requested anonymity due to confidential information involved. Riot Platforms declined to comment on the matter, and Anthropic did not respond to an inquiry from Bloomberg.
Following the announcement, Riot's shares rose by 25%, reaching $24.40 (R$ 124.62) during extended trading.
More Information
In recent months, Anthropic has signed multiple contracts with AI infrastructure and cloud computing providers to increase its operational capacity, as it faced challenges keeping up with user demand for its AI tools.
Recently, Anthropic established a $10 billion (R$ 51 billion) deal with Volta Infra, an infrastructure startup with little history. Furthermore, in May, the company agreed to acquire about $45 billion (R$ 229.8 billion) in computing power from xAI, a company associated with Elon Musk. Anthropic also announced a separate arrangement with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) focused on building computational capacity.
The agreement with Anthropic signals a significant shift in the cryptocurrency sector. Riot Platforms began its journey as a diagnostic equipment manufacturer for the biotechnology sector under the name Bioptix. Later, the company drastically changed its strategy and entered the Bitcoin mining market.
Currently, Riot is among the cryptocurrency corporations relocating part of its activities to cloud computing infrastructure, aiming to capitalize on the increasing demand for AI. The capacity that was initially available in data centers built for cryptocurrency mining can now be used to meet the computational needs of AI companies.
Riot's own recent performance already reflects this transition, as the company exceeded revenue projections in the second quarter, partly driven by the growth of its data center segment.
