Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has signed a $1.8 billion computing deal with Akamai Technologies, marking another major infrastructure move in the fast-heating AI industry. The deal is aimed at supporting rising demand for Anthropic’s AI software, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Akamai had earlier disclosed a long-term cloud agreement with an unnamed frontier model provider in its earnings statement. The market reacted sharply. Akamai’s shares rose 25% on Thursday, and in regular trading on Friday the stock was up about 28% at $149.05.
The agreement points to a bigger shift in the AI race. For companies building advanced models, the battle is no longer only about talent, algorithms or consumer-facing products. It is increasingly about reliable access to computing power, including CPUs, GPUs and cloud infrastructure.
Akamai, better known for its cloud and cybersecurity business, has been positioning itself more aggressively in the cloud computing market. The company forecast second-quarter revenue between $1.08 billion and $1.10 billion, close to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion, according to LSEG data.
Akamai CEO Tom Leighton told Reuters that the company is in a strong position to secure access to key components, including CPUs and GPUs, even as component prices have increased.
For Anthropic, the Akamai agreement comes soon after another computing arrangement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. That deal gave Anthropic access to SpaceX computing resources, signalling an unusual thaw between the company and one of its earlier critics.
Together, the Akamai and SpaceX moves underline how fast Anthropic is expanding its compute base as demand for AI tools continues to rise. In the frontier AI market, computing capacity has become a strategic asset. Companies that can secure it early gain more room to train, deploy and scale their models.
The latest deal also gives Akamai a stronger foothold in the AI infrastructure story. A long-term agreement with a frontier model provider places the company closer to one of the most valuable parts of the AI supply chain: the cloud layer that keeps advanced models running.
For investors, the stock surge suggests confidence that Akamai may benefit from the AI infrastructure boom. For the wider industry, the message is clear. The next phase of AI growth will not be decided only by who builds the smartest model. It will also be decided by who has the computing muscle to keep it alive, fast and available at scale.
