Key facts
- Anthropic exploring custom AI chip development with Samsung
- Would reduce reliance on third-party chip suppliers
- Follows similar moves by Google, Meta, Amazon and OpenAI
Anthropic is in discussions with Samsung over a potential partnership to develop custom AI chips, according to a report by Firstpost, as the Claude-maker joins a growing list of major AI companies seeking greater control over their semiconductor supply chains.
The move would be a significant strategic step for Anthropic, which has until now relied on chips from established suppliers to power its AI training and inference workloads. By exploring a co-development arrangement with Samsung — one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers — Anthropic could gain access to tailored silicon optimised for its specific model architectures, potentially improving both performance and cost efficiency.
The push toward custom chips is increasingly common among frontier AI companies. Rivals such as Google have long had their own Tensor Processing Units, while Meta and Amazon have developed in-house AI accelerators. OpenAI has also been reported to be exploring custom chip strategies. For Anthropic, which has positioned itself on AI safety and responsible development, having dedicated hardware could also allow tighter control over how its models are run and monitored.
For Samsung, the partnership would represent a meaningful expansion of its AI chip ambitions, coming at a time when the South Korean company is working to close the gap with TSMC in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The Anthropic deal, if finalised, would add a high-profile AI-native client to its foundry and chip design portfolio — and signal that the global AI hardware race is entering a new phase of vertical integration.