Google, Microsoft Fall Short in Compute Deal as Anthropic Takes the Lead
Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) were reportedly in talks for a compute deal, but ultimately lost out to Anthropic. According to Semafor, citing sources, the two tech giants were vying for Nscale's compute capacity.
The news suggests that compute providers are now prioritizing strategic partnerships over price, with Anthropic securing the deal despite having a smaller balance sheet.
This development fits into an established pattern in which hyperscalers and frontier model developers compete for limited GPU hosting and data centre supply. Losing bidders often reappear on subsequent deals.