Anthropic wants its own chip, and it might turn to Samsung to build it. That’s the word from a new report by The Information. 

The outlet says Anthropic has opened talks with Samsung about a custom AI chip deal. But the plan is still early. 

Nobody knows yet what the chip will do, how it will slot into servers. And nobody knows how powerful it will be.

This isn’t the first time that there have been speculations about Anthropic and chips.

Back in April, Reuters broke the news that Anthropic was weighing whether to build its own AI chips to fight back against chip shortages that have squeezed the whole industry.

Now those speculations have morphed into action. Talking to Samsung is a concrete step; it shows Anthropic isn’t just brainstorming anymore. 

The company is testing the waters with an actual manufacturing partner.

Anthropic

Anthropic said its hardware strategy relies on a mix of chips. That includes hardware from Google, Amazon, and Nvidia. 

The company called this diversified approach key to how it powers its AI systems. As for Samsung specifically, Anthropic didn’t share much. 

The company said it had nothing further to add on that front.

Custom Chips

A handful of major AI companies now want custom silicon of their own, and for two big reasons.

First, custom chips can be built for very specific tasks. A chip designed just for one company’s needs can run faster and cheaper than a general-purpose one.

Second, and maybe more important, custom chips offer freedom, from Nvidia, that is. 

Nvidia still rules the chip world, but relying on one supplier is risky, especially when demand for AI chips keeps climbing. 

Building custom hardware means more control.

OpenAI 

Anthropic’s chip talks come right after a big announcement from its biggest rival.

Last week, OpenAI unveiled its first custom chip. The company built it alongside Broadcom and named it Jalapeño.

OpenAI says this new chip is an inference powerhouse. It claims better performance-per-watt than rival chips on the market. 

In plain terms, that means it does more work while using less energy. Amazon and Google already offer their own custom-built processors, known as TPUs, through their cloud platforms.

So really, Anthropic may just be catching up. 

Why Samsung?

The company already plays a major role in the industry. It manufactures chips that Nvidia needs to train and run its AI models. 

It’s a two-way relationship, too. Samsung leans on Nvidia’s software during its own chip production process.

The two companies are even building an AI chip factory together in South Korea to impact how intelligent manufacturing works on a global scale.

And Samsung’s ambitions don’t stop there. Reports say the company has also discussed a possible chip partnership with Google. 

So if Anthropic wants a manufacturing partner with serious AI chip experience, Samsung checks a lot of boxes.