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Amazon’s $4 Billion Partnership With AI Startup Anthropic Gets UK Competition Clearance
LONDON — Amazon’s relationship with artificial intelligence company Anthropic has been cleared by Britain’s competition authority, which stated on Friday that the $4 billion agreement does not require additional investigation.
The Competition and Markets Authority’s approval comes after it began investigating the acquisition, as part of broader global monitoring of the flow of investment from Big Tech corporations into leading startups working on generative AI technology.
The authority determined that Anthropic’s revenue and combined market share with Amazon in Britain were insufficient to warrant a thorough inquiry under the country’s merger guidelines.
Amazon’s $4 Billion Partnership With AI Startup Anthropic Gets UK Competition Clearance
“We welcome the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority decision acknowledging its lack of jurisdiction regarding this collaboration,” a statement from Amazon read. “By investing in Anthropic, we’re helping to spur entry and competition in generative AI.”
The British regulator had already approved Microsoft’s collaboration with the French startup Mistral AI, as well as the hire of key personnel from another business, Inflection AI.
Amazon’s $4 Billion Partnership With AI Startup Anthropic Gets UK Competition Clearance
The watchdog is still investigating Anthropic’s collaboration with Google. Anthropic was formed in 2021 by brothers Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked for ChatGPT developer OpenAI. The corporation has prioritized improving the safety and dependability of AI models.
The AI partnerships are also being scrutinized across the Atlantic, with the Federal Trade Commission investigating whether they are assisting tech behemoths in gaining an unfair advantage in the burgeoning market for AI services.
SOURCE | AP
