Anthropic revenue run rate tops $65 billion, source says ↗
Anthropic's annual revenue run rate has reportedly blasted past $65 billion, up from $47 billion just a couple of months earlier. Claude demand is doing some fairly ridiculous numbers right now.
The figure was shared with investors as speculation builds around a potential public listing. Revenue run rate isn't the same thing as booked annual revenue, worth keeping in mind... but the acceleration is still eyebrow-raising. (Reuters)
OpenAI joins PORTS-Pike project ↗
OpenAI has agreed to secure roughly 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio, working with SB Energy, NVIDIA and the US Department of Energy. AI infrastructure is becoming less "server room", more small industrial civilisation.
OpenAI says the buildout could create 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent operating roles, alongside an additional $40 million community fund and $84 million in Codex credits for Ohio college students. (OpenAI)
ByteDance signs AI copyright pact with Hollywood trade group ↗
ByteDance and the Motion Picture Association have struck an agreement aimed at strengthening copyright protections around ByteDance's generative AI tools.
The deal covers Seedance for video and Seedream for images, following an earlier cease-and-desist challenge from Hollywood's trade group. Generative video and copyright are finally starting to share the same room... awkwardly, but still. (Reuters)
Wispr Flow valued at $2 billion on investor demand for AI voice-to-text startups ↗
AI dictation startup Wispr Flow raised $280 million in a Series B led by Menlo Ventures, pushing its valuation to $2 billion. That's nearly triple its previous valuation in just nine months.
Wispr also previewed Canto, its first proprietary speech-recognition model. The company says its tools are already used across more than 10,000 businesses, and it's increasingly pushing beyond simple dictation into broader voice-driven work. (Reuters)
AI market correction is coming, ECB blog predicts ↗
An ECB blog argues that the extraordinary optimism surrounding AI-linked stocks makes some kind of market correction likely, even if AI itself ultimately delivers huge economic gains.
The slightly peculiar bit is that success doesn't necessarily save the valuations. If investors have already priced in impossibly perfect growth, companies can perform exceptionally well and their shares can still fall. European households and institutions also have major exposure to America's largest tech names, so the wobble wouldn't stay neatly contained in Silicon Valley. (Reuters)
AI automation startup Relay shuts down, staff joins Google’s Chrome team ↗
AI workflow startup Relay is shutting down, while founder and CEO Jacob Bank and other employees are heading to Google's Chrome organization.
Bank will become VP of Product for Chrome and has hinted at ambitious plans for bringing AI deeper into the browser. So Relay disappears, but some of its agentic DNA may effectively get poured into Chrome - funny old startup ending, that. (TechCrunch)
Gravis Robotics hits $1bn valuation with $200m investment from SoftBank ↗
Swiss startup Gravis Robotics raised $200 million from SoftBank, giving the construction-AI company a $1 billion post-money valuation.
Its software adds AI assistance and autonomy to heavy machinery used for digging, excavation and other construction work. Gravis says the technology can be retrofitted onto existing equipment and claims productivity gains of up to 30% - AI, but wearing steel-toe boots. (Sifted)
FAQ
Why is Anthropic’s $65 billion revenue run rate significant?
Anthropic’s reported annual revenue run rate has climbed from $47 billion to more than $65 billion in only a few months, reflecting strong demand for Claude. A revenue run rate estimates annualised performance based on current revenue levels, so it is not the same as booked annual revenue. The figure is also attracting attention as speculation builds around a possible public listing.
How much AI infrastructure is OpenAI planning at the PORTS-Pike project?
OpenAI has agreed to secure roughly 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio. The project involves SB Energy, NVIDIA and the US Department of Energy. OpenAI says the development could support 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent operating roles, alongside a $40 million community fund and $84 million in Codex credits for Ohio college students.
What does the ByteDance copyright deal mean for generative AI?
ByteDance and the Motion Picture Association have agreed to strengthen copyright protections around ByteDance’s generative AI products. The agreement covers Seedance for video generation and Seedream for image generation. It follows an earlier cease-and-desist challenge from the Hollywood trade group, making the deal another example of AI companies and rights holders working to establish clearer protections around generated media.
Which AI startups raised major funding in the latest AI news?
Wispr Flow raised $280 million in a Series B led by Menlo Ventures, giving the voice-to-text startup a $2 billion valuation. Swiss construction-AI company Gravis Robotics also raised $200 million from SoftBank at a $1 billion post-money valuation. The two deals show investor interest extending beyond foundation models into speech interfaces and AI-assisted industrial machinery.
Why does the ECB think an AI market correction could happen?
An ECB blog argues that extremely optimistic expectations around AI-linked stocks could make a market correction more likely. Even if AI delivers substantial economic gains, company valuations could fall if investors have already priced in exceptionally strong future growth. The concern also extends beyond US technology companies because European households and institutions have significant exposure to large American tech stocks.