Anthropic Said in Talks to Buy AI Startup Decart for $6 Billion

August 13, 2026 - 12:44

Anthropic PBC is reportedly in discussions to acquire the AI startup Decart AI for roughly 6 billion dollars, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. If completed, the deal would mark one of the largest acquisitions in the AI sector this year and would give Anthropic significant control over its own computing stack.

Decart AI, a company focused on building efficient AI inference systems and specialized hardware, has been seen as a rising player in the race to lower the cost of running large language models. The startup has developed software that optimizes how AI models run on existing chips, a critical area as demand for AI compute continues to outpace supply.

The potential purchase comes as Anthropic, backed by major investors including Amazon and Google, looks to reduce its reliance on cloud providers and gain more direct oversight of its infrastructure. By bringing Decart's engineering team in-house, Anthropic could speed up development of its own model-serving capabilities and cut operating expenses over time.

Neither company has confirmed the talks, and the deal could still fall through. Negotiations are said to be at an early stage, with details around valuation and structure still being worked out. If the acquisition goes through, it would signal a broader trend of AI labs buying up specialized startups to secure their supply chains and technical talent.