AI startup Anthropic is reportedly in talks to acquire rival Decart AI in a deal valued at approximately $6 billion (roughly NT$190 billion). If finalized, it would be the largest acquisition in Anthropic’s history, coming at a time when the company is on the cusp of its highly anticipated IPO.
Market sources indicate that Anthropic, which has rarely pursued large-scale acquisitions, has been pouring substantial capital into compute power in recent years to develop new products and serve customers. Sources say Decart’s software enables chips to operate more efficiently, thereby reducing the cost of training AI models. This technology would help Anthropic’s existing infrastructure handle significantly greater demand. Upon completion of the deal, Decart’s team would join Anthropic’s inference and performance division.
Decart is also focused on generative video technology, using so-called “world models” to modify live-streaming video in real time. Sources note that this technology also reflects Decart’s deep bench of high-caliber infrastructure engineering talent. Representatives for both Anthropic and Decart declined to comment.
Deal Background and Decart’s Valuation Trajectory
Decart was founded in 2023 by three Israeli engineers: brothers Dean Leitersdorf and Orian Leitersdorf, along with Moshe Shalev. In May of this year, the company announced it had raised $300 million (roughly NT$9.5 billion) in a funding round led by Radical Ventures, with participation from Nvidia (NVDA), Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners, and Adobe Ventures. Existing investors Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, and Zeev Ventures also participated in the round.
According to The Wall Street Journal, that round valued the startup at nearly $4 billion (roughly NT$130 billion), up from $3.1 billion (roughly NT$100 billion) in August 2025. At a $6 billion acquisition price, the deal represents a premium of roughly 50% over the May funding valuation.
TimeframeValuation / Deal SizeEventAugust 2025$3.1 billionPrevious funding round valuationMay 2026Nearly $4 billion$300 million round led by Radical VenturesAugust 2026Approximately $6 billionAnthropic in acquisition talks
Note: Valuation figures compiled from media reports.
Strategic Positioning Amid the Compute Race
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have committed tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars to building data centers equipped with expensive chips. As computing demand surges, both companies have become increasingly reliant on hardware from multiple suppliers to meet their massive compute needs.
Industry analysts note that Decart’s core value lies in its semiconductor efficiency optimization technology. With AI model training and inference costs remaining stubbornly high, improving computational efficiency on the same hardware is effectively equivalent to expanding compute capacity. For Anthropic, which is preparing to go public, this acquisition represents not just a technological upgrade but potentially a critical step in demonstrating cost-control capabilities and infrastructure competitiveness to investors.
Institutional investors point out that as these two AI startups prepare for their Wall Street debuts in the coming months, the massive expenditures that their executives deem essential for building and supporting cutting-edge AI models could also create financial strain. Anthropic’s decision to acquire efficiency technology through M&A at this juncture, rather than simply expanding capital expenditure, reflects a strategic mindset aimed at striking a balance between growth and financial discipline.