Strategic Shifts in the AI Landscape
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have secured strategic stakes in Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI models, as part of a massive $65 billion Series H funding round. This investment pushes the San Francisco-based startup to a $965 billion valuation, officially surpassing OpenAI’s $852 billion mark to become the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence company as of May 30.
Contextualizing the Surge in AI Valuation
The rapid rise of Anthropic represents one of the fastest valuation climbs in venture capital history, occurring just over three years after its founding by former OpenAI staff. The company has seen its valuation more than double since February, when it was valued at $380 billion. With annualized revenue recently topping $47 billion and expectations of its first operating profit in the second quarter, Anthropic is positioning itself for a potential public offering later this year.
The Hardware Connection
The participation of South Korean chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix, alongside US-based Micron, highlights the critical intersection between advanced AI software and the hardware required to run it. Anthropic stated that these partnerships are essential to scale its compute infrastructure reliably. For these chipmakers, the deal provides a direct line to one of the most significant consumers of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and logic chips in the world.
Foundry Implications for Samsung
Industry analysts are particularly focused on the potential for Samsung to expand its relationship with Anthropic beyond standard memory supply. As the only partner in the group with a significant foundry business, Samsung is well-positioned to manufacture custom AI chips for the Claude ecosystem. This would provide a substantial boost to Samsung’s foundry unit, which currently holds a 7.2 percent global market share and is actively seeking to close the gap with industry leader TSMC.
Market Outlook and Future Growth
The funding round, co-led by major financial institutions including Capital Group, Coatue, and GIC, signals strong institutional confidence in the scalability of large language models. As AI companies move toward public listings, the focus shifts toward sustainable revenue models and the physical infrastructure required to sustain growth. Investors will be watching closely to see if Samsung can leverage this partnership to secure high-margin foundry contracts, potentially accelerating the unit’s return to profitability by next year.
