Artificial intelligence

Anthropic signs a 3.4 billion deal to power its data centres with gas

According to the Financial Times, this would be the largest known single purchase of electricity-generation equipment by a company specialising in artificial intelligence

8 November 2026

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2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Anthropic is focusing directly on energy production to support the growth of artificial intelligence.

The American company behind Claude has secured a $3.4 billion deal to procure natural gas-fired generators, with a total capacity of 1.7 gigawatts, for use in data centres.

This is according to the Financial Times, which reports that this is the largest known single purchase of power generation equipment by a company specialising in artificial intelligence.

The transaction, which was finalised at the end of September, relates to supply commitments acquired from OnePWR Solutions, a company based in San Antonio, Texas. Anthropic did not acquire the company nor take on its staff, but it did secure the design and construction capabilities required to install the systems. Neither Anthropic nor OnePWR has publicly confirmed the agreement.

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The race for energy for artificial intelligence

According to the British newspaper, Anthropic had initially planned to purchase electricity from OnePWR, but subsequently decided to take over the orders for generators that the Texas-based company had placed with Caterpillar around two years ago. This decision would enable the company to secure equipment in the short term and over the next two years, thereby avoiding, at least in part, the long waiting times that currently characterise the market.

The demand for the energy needed to power data centres is, in fact, growing rapidly, whilst generator and turbine manufacturers are struggling to keep up with orders. For artificial intelligence companies, securing a sufficient supply of electricity has become just as important as having access to the most advanced chips.

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The agreement also marks a shift in the strategy of major technology companies, which are increasingly keen to take direct control of part of the energy infrastructure, rather than relying solely on traditional electricity suppliers.

The scale of the challenge is also evident from the documents filed by Anthropic with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 2 November, ahead of its listing on the stock exchange. The company has declared contractual commitments totalling approximately $895.4 billion, almost entirely relating to computing capacity and infrastructure, with payment deadlines extending as far as 2045. Of this amount, approximately $447.5 billion is due by the end of 2030.

In the same documents, Anthropic acknowledges that the availability of electricity is now one of the main obstacles to the construction and expansion of data centres, particularly in the United States. The use of natural gas-powered generators may offer a solution for securing additional capacity, but it also raises questions about the environmental impact and emissions associated with the growing adoption of artificial intelligence.

In short, the race for AI is no longer just about the power of models and semiconductors. Increasingly, the competition centres on the ability to secure the energy needed to power them.

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