Anthropic and OpenAI are shifting their infrastructure strategy by seeking smaller data center partnerships. While both companies previously secured massive agreements for facilities ranging from hundreds of megawatts to gigawatts, they are now targeting smaller deployments of 20 to 30 megawatts.
Anthropic is currently exploring potential agreements within this capacity range in the UK and Nordic regions. Simultaneously, OpenAI is evaluating similar small-scale deployment options across Northern Europe. Both AI labs have also initiated discussions regarding these smaller data center projects within the United States.
This pivot aims to accelerate the delivery of AI workloads. By securing smaller computing resources, the companies can reduce the time required to deploy models and provide inference services to end users. The strategy complements their existing large-scale infrastructure investments.
An OpenAI spokesperson stated that the company is building a diverse computing portfolio to address global demand. The organization evaluates partnerships based on performance, system reliability, delivery timelines, and costs, though it declined to comment on specific commercial negotiations.
