News Summary

AI startup Anthropic has successfully raised $3.5 billion in a Series E funding round, bringing its post-money valuation to $61.5 billion. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco Investments, D1 Capital Partners, Fidelity Management & Research Company, General Catalyst, Jane Street, Menlo Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures. This funding elevates Anthropic’s total capital raised to $18.2 billion. The company aims to use the funds to develop next-generation AI systems, expand its computing capacity, and enhance its research in mechanistic interpretability and alignment. Additionally, Anthropic intends to accelerate its international expansion, having opened offices in Europe and made significant hires, including former executives from Instagram and OpenAI. The startup has strengthened its collaboration with Amazon, which invested an additional $4 billion and is working with Anthropic to optimize its AI chip, Trainium. Anthropic’s AI models are integral to Amazon’s upgraded Alexa virtual assistant, Alexa+. Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI VP of research Dario Amodei, Anthropic positions itself as a safety-focused AI company.