U.S. Anthropic buys generators for 4.6 trillion won...the largest purchase ever

[Financial News] U.S. AI company Anthropic has bought generators for $3.4 billion (about 4.6 trillion won) to supply electricity to its data centers. The deal is the largest known single purchase of power-generation equipment by an AI company.
The United Kingdom’s Financial Times (FT) reported on the 8th (local time) that Anthropic had acquired a contract to buy large generators with a combined capacity of 1.7 GW from OnePWR Solutions (hereafter, OnePWR), an equipment supplier based in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., in late September. The deal also included the engineering and construction capabilities needed to install the generators.
According to people familiar with the matter, the generators were originally being made by U.S. heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. OnePWR ordered the generators from Caterpillar two years ago but needed additional funding to complete the deal. Anthropic had also planned to buy equipment from OnePWR. Ultimately, Anthropic changed course and took over the generator purchase contract that OnePWR had signed with Caterpillar.
The FT noted that as demand for gas turbines and generators surges and manufacturing lead times stretch to years, AI companies are bypassing intermediaries and taking direct control of equipment production. Earlier this year, xAI, the AI company under SpaceX, bought mobile gas turbines for $2 billion (about 2.7 trillion won), while Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, acquired energy developer Intersect late last year.
Arashi Najad, head of clean energy and power at U.S. investment bank Stifel, said, “Companies believe that owning part of their power infrastructure and having capabilities of their own can help them better protect themselves from disruptions beyond their control.”
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