Sources say OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are offering hefty computing power subsidies to startups to compete for enterprise clients.
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AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic are offering startups large amounts of free computing power in an effort to seize market share.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on July 7th, as reported by Mars Finance, AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are offering substantial free computing power and discounts to startups to compete for enterprise customers. The report states that Silicon Valley startup founders are receiving computing credits, token usage limits, and auction-style discounts from AI model companies. Some early-stage companies have received over $3 million in cloud computing and token credits, approaching the median of seed funding in the US according to PitchBook. AI companies hope to acquire customers in the early stages of startups, making their tools an integral part of their business as these companies grow. Cursor offered a 75% discount until July 5th; Google Cloud offered up to $500,000 in cloud computing credits to some startups, along with early access to the Gemini model and, in some cases, support from DeepMind engineers. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services also offer special privileges to startups. OpenAI and Anthropic have recently been particularly focused on Y Combinator startups. In May, Sam Altman announced that OpenAI would offer $2 million in tokens to each startup participating in its accelerator program in exchange for equity. Around the same time, Anthropic increased its free token allocation to Y Combinator startups from $30,000 to $500,000, without requiring equity. OpenAI subsequently adjusted its offer, providing startups with $500,000 in free tokens, without requiring equity, and offering the option to exchange equity for an additional $1.5 million in tokens. These offers reflect the fierce competition among model providers for future large clients. Y Combinator runs four cohorts annually, with recent cohorts featuring approximately 200 companies each, meaning that OpenAI and Anthropic could potentially offer a combined $800 million in AI tokens over the next year. Christopher Acker, co-founder of SuperPenguin, stated, "The AI world is being driven by OpenAI and Anthropic because they are giving startups money to pay for usage costs."
SemiAnalysis: Meta will accelerate, rather than slow down, its computing power procurement; it is in talks with Anthropic to build its own AI model service platform.
According to BlockBeats, on July 3rd, SemiAnalysis stated in its latest report that after news broke that Meta might become a new Neocloud, the market's initial reaction was to sell off computing power cloud companies like CoreWeave and Nebius, and to renewed concerns about "AI computing power oversupply." However, the firm's assessment is the opposite: this concern may be wrong. Meta's data center and computing power procurement will not slow down, but rather continue to accelerate. The article mentions that in the first half of this year alone, Meta has already signed contracts for over 5GW of capacity in the cloud services and managed data center sectors, and this does not include its accelerating self-built projects. SemiAnalysis states that Meta is in final negotiations with Anthropic, hoping to obtain access to Claude private instances. If this comes to fruition, the significance goes beyond "Meta buying more computing power"; it suggests that Meta may be building its own AI model service platform. This model is somewhat similar to AWS's Bedrock, Microsoft's Foundry, and Google's Vertex. Meta can initially use Claude internally, or it can package the model capabilities as a token-as-a-service to provide services externally in the future. In the short term, it might use its own models externally and Anthropic models internally; in the long term, Meta might even incorporate Anthropic and OpenAI models into its external service system. SemiAnalysis states that the underlying logic is that Meta has computing power, advertisers, social network distribution capabilities, and consumer-end entry points. If it can combine cutting-edge models, intelligent agents, and sales and marketing SaaS, it will not just be a company that buys GPUs, but will be moving towards the upper layers of AI application and model distribution.
Anthropic plans to acquire Australian data center computing resources.
According to Mars Finance, Australian sources indicate that artificial intelligence company Anthropic plans to secure at least 1.4 million kilowatts of data center computing power in Australia, with a total investment potentially reaching $15 billion. Australian media, citing a confidential tender document, reports that Anthropic plans to activate at least 1 million kilowatts of computing power by the end of next year at the latest. The report states that the AI company's baseline plan is to find long-term partners to jointly build a data center campus with a total capacity of 1.4 million kilowatts. Anthropic is about six weeks away from making a final investment decision, and this large deal may be broken down into four to five smaller cooperation agreements. (Cailian Press)
NVIDIA launches "AI Computing Partner Program": Offering computing power in exchange for revenue sharing and equity with cloud providers.
According to BlockBeats, on July 2nd, Nvidia is advancing a new project called the "AI Compute Partnership." Cloud service providers Firmus and Sharon AI, who are participating in the project, revealed that Nvidia has committed to providing these startup cloud service providers with a guarantee of computing power capacity: if the GPUs they purchase cannot be leased out, Nvidia will fund the leaseback of these idle computing power. In return, Nvidia will take a share of the startup cloud service providers' revenue (the share decreasing gradually with the contract term) or provide them with stock options. Because data center construction and GPU procurement are extremely costly, startup cloud providers with lower credit ratings often struggle to obtain financing. Nvidia's capacity swap guarantee essentially provides them with crucial credit backing, helping them secure loans. Currently, giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, Meta, and Google purchase most of Nvidia's chips, but these giants are also developing their own chips. Nvidia hopes to reduce its dependence on large customers by supporting startup cloud providers. Back in September 2025, Nvidia pledged to underwrite $6.3 billion worth of unsold computing power for CoreWeave until 2032. Furthermore, Nvidia is currently in talks to provide similar financial guarantees for OpenAI's planned $500 billion mega-data center.
US pre-market news highlights: EDA giants focus on AI chip design; SpaceX officially included in the Nasdaq 100 index; Analysts say AI computing power demand is far from peaking.
Mars Finance reports the following key financial news from the US stock market that investors should pay attention to: 1. US stock index futures showed mixed results. Dow Jones futures rose 0.29%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.15%, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.94%. 2. International oil prices rose slightly. WTI crude oil futures rose 0.61% to $68.967 per barrel; Brent crude oil futures rose 0.74% to $72.526 per barrel. 3. International gold and silver spot prices fluctuated narrowly. Spot gold rose 0.03% to $4166.01 per ounce; spot silver fell 0.64% to $61.62 per ounce. 4. European stock indices all fell. The UK FTSE 100 rose 0.47%, the French CAC 40 rose 0.20%, and the German DAX 30 fell 0.63%. 5. EDA giant Synopsys informed more than 10 chip manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, in April and May that it would "suspend" some of its wafer fab manufacturing analysis software, shifting resources to the more profitable AI chip design business. 6. SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, was officially included in the Nasdaq 100 index today, becoming the first company in the index with a space business at its core. JPMorgan Chase estimates its weight in the index at approximately 1.3%. Wall Street generally gave it an "initial bullish" rating, with a target price as high as $800. 7. Google invested over €400 million in Proxima Fusion, a European nuclear fusion "unicorn" company, with the aim of building a commercial fusion power plant by the 2030s. 8. Anthropic announced a 20-year AI data center lease agreement with AI data center operator TeraWulf. The project has a capacity of approximately 401 megawatts and is expected to be operational in the second half of 2027, reaching full capacity in early 2028. 9. A recent report from semiconductor research firm SemiAnalysis indicates that AI computing power demand is far from peaking. The firm predicts that Meta computing power procurement will accelerate, and capital expenditure may increase significantly next year. 10. Walmart and its Sam's Club announced price reductions on thousands of popular summer items and everyday essentials across the United States. 11. Microsoft raised its Microsoft 365 Enterprise subscription fee earlier this month, with increases ranging from 8% to 33%. Personal and Education versions are currently unaffected. (Cailian Press)
David Sacks strongly supports Palantir CEO's criticism of AI labs: True enterprise AI security lies in controlling one's own data, models, and computing power.
According to Beating, David Sacks, co-chair of the U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, published an article supporting Palantir CEO Alex Karp's sharp criticism of cutting-edge AI labs, stating that the mainstream media's portrayal of his interview as a "disastrous outburst" precisely demonstrates that Karp hit the nail on the head. Sacks points out that true "AI security" in a corporate environment is not abstract "alignment research" or government-led certification systems, but rather the ability to control one's own data, model weights, and computing power—preventing cutting-edge labs from "absorbing" a company's proprietary knowledge and turning it into the next product. He quotes Karp as saying, "They want to own their means of production, not hand them over to others." Sacks cites the conflict between Figma and Anthropic as a prime example: three days before the release of Claude Design, Anthropic's Chief Product Officer was still a member of Figma's board of directors, and Figma's founder stated that Anthropic "hadn't always been honest with them"; subsequently, Figma's stock price plummeted while Anthropic's valuation soared. He further listed products such as Claude Science, Claude Security, Claude Legal, and Claude Code, pointing out that Anthropic consistently targets vertical sectors originally served by companies that relied on its models, following a consistent pattern: "Observe where value is created first, then jump in." Sacks believes that the perception of open-source models as "dangerous" is not true for companies—retaining choice at the model layer and deciding who can use their core strengths is the real bottom line for corporate security. Previously, Palantir partnered with NVIDIA to deploy Nemotron's open AI models in sovereign environments, serving the US government and critical infrastructure customers, helping organizations train and deploy AI locally while maintaining complete control over data and intellectual property. Palanitir CEO Alex Karp recently gave a scathing interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," criticizing leading AI model companies as "completely wrong" in their approach to selling AI. Karp emphasized that companies are currently dissatisfied with "cutting-edge labs" like OpenAI and Anthropic, believing they only pursue token maximization, wasting companies' time and money while handing over proprietary value and intellectual property. Karp stated that companies are "angry" and will strive to own their own AI production resources rather than relying on third parties. On June 29th, Palantir partnered with Nvidia to deploy Nvidia Nemotron open AI models in a sovereign environment, primarily serving the US government and critical infrastructure.