Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup, has agreed to a $1.8 billion computing arrangement with Akamai Technologies to supply the substantial processing resources needed to support demand for its AI software. The arrangement follows an earlier disclosure by Akamai that it had secured a long-term cloud partnership with a frontier model provider, though the provider was not identified in that company statement.
Market reaction to the disclosure was immediate. Akamai's shares jumped roughly 25% on the day the earnings statement mentioned the unnamed cloud deal, and in regular trading on the following day the stock was trading about 28% higher at $149.05. Both Akamai and Anthropic declined to comment on the reported agreement when approached for confirmation.
The cloud and cybersecurity company updated its second-quarter guidance to a revenue range of $1.08 billion to $1.10 billion, compared with analyst estimates of $1.10 billion based on data compiled by LSEG. Management emphasized its ability to assemble the necessary hardware despite recent cost movements in components.
In public remarks, Akamai's chief executive said the firm is well positioned to obtain the full complement of components, including CPUs and GPUs, even as prices for those parts have risen. The comment speaks to the operational side of fulfilling large-scale AI compute commitments and to supply-chain positioning amid elevated component costs.
The deal with Akamai comes shortly after Anthropic disclosed a separate agreement to access computing capacity from SpaceX. That arrangement signaled a warming of relations between Anthropic and Elon Musk, who had previously been a critic of the company, and represents an additional boost to Anthropic's access to external compute resources.
Outside analytical tools and stock-picking services noted the market's interest in Akamai following the disclosure. One such service describes automated, metric-driven evaluations of Akamai and thousands of other companies, citing its use of financial metrics and AI-generated stock ideas to identify opportunities. The service referenced examples of previous winners from its model, and invited investors to compare Akamai within its strategies.
Key facts to note from the events described include the reported $1.8 billion compute agreement between Anthropic and Akamai, the significant uptick in Akamai's stock price immediately after the company's earnings disclosure, Akamai's second-quarter revenue outlook relative to analyst expectations, the CEO's comment on access to CPUs and GPUs amid rising component prices, and Anthropic's separate computing arrangement with SpaceX. Several parties declined to comment on the reported deal.