Anthropic in Talks with Samsung to Develop Custom AI Chips

Anthropic [Photo: Reuters & Yonhap News]

Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI model, is reportedly in discussions with Samsung Electronics to develop its own artificial intelligence (AI) chips. As AI companies seek to reduce operational costs and supply chain burdens, attention is focused on whether Samsung can secure a new major client.

According to a report on July 2 by the technology news outlet The Information, Anthropic has begun initial reviews for its AI chip development and is in talks with Samsung, a potential manufacturing partner.

Anthropic is said to be considering utilizing Samsung's 2-nanometer process and advanced packaging facilities. The 2-nanometer process represents next-generation manufacturing technology that enhances chip performance and power efficiency. Advanced packaging technology reduces data transfer bottlenecks by placing processors and high-bandwidth memory in close proximity.

The connection between Anthropic and Samsung was also evident during Anthropic's recent fundraising efforts. In May, during its Series H investment round, Anthropic identified Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron as strategic infrastructure partners. Among the three major memory manufacturers, only Samsung has a foundry business capable of producing logic chips (computational and control semiconductors).

However, the actual likelihood of securing orders remains uncertain. Anthropic is reportedly in discussions with several chip design companies and is still reviewing chip applications, performance goals, and server integration methods. Detailed designs or trial production have not yet been initiated.

The competition among AI companies to develop their own chips is intensifying. Google has been using its own Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), while OpenAI has partnered with Broadcom to develop inference chips. AI companies are looking to reduce their reliance on NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs) and lower operational costs and power burdens.

In response to a request for comment, Anthropic stated that NVIDIA GPUs, Google TPUs, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Tranium chips will continue to play a key role in its operational infrastructure. The company did not comment on its discussions with Samsung or its future plans. Samsung also declined to comment.

* This article has been translated by AI.