Decart builds optimization technology for AI infrastructure alongside models of its own, and its staff would be folded into the Anthropic group that handles inference and performance. The purchase forms part of a wider hunt for capacity before the stock market listing Anthropic plans.
Anthropic has opened negotiations to buy Decart AI, a startup whose backers include Nvidia, and the purchase might put Anthropic in a position to take on additional demand, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Decart builds technology for AI infrastructure and optimization, and separately develops AI models of its own. Its models include Lucy, which the company's website says is able to alter live video instantaneously, and Oasis, which produces simulated settings used for the training and testing of robotics and self-driving systems. In May the startup announced a $300 million raise, a round in which Radical Ventures took the lead and Nvidia came on board as a fresh backer.
The possible purchase forms part of a wider look by Anthropic at deals that might let it cope with rising demand before the stock market listing it plans, the person with knowledge of the matter said. Earlier this month Anthropic said it was recruiting engineers whose experience spans both the hardware and the software layers, to help jointly design bespoke chips and AI models that might let Claude operate more quickly and efficiently.
None of it is settled: the discussions between the two companies are still at an initial phase, the person with knowledge of the matter said. An Anthropic spokesperson declined to comment on the talks, and Decart, asked for a statement at a time outside its normal working day, gave no immediate response.