Anthropic Closes $15B Mega-Round at $350B Valuation | Big Tech Earnings Test AI ROI | January 28, 2026

Daily AI Blog

📋 Quick Takeaways

  • Anthropic closes $10-15B funding round at $350B valuation, with Microsoft and Nvidia potentially adding more; company generated ~$10B revenue in 2025
  • Big Tech earnings week begins with Microsoft, Meta, Tesla reporting January 28; hyperscalers expected to spend $470B+ in AI capex for 2026
  • AWS signs historic $38B deal with OpenAI for cloud infrastructure, while Amazon explores $10B direct investment
  • Global AI spending projected at $2.5 trillion in 2026, with infrastructure spending alone exceeding $1.3 trillion
  • Apple-Google Gemini partnership confirmed for major Siri overhaul, pushing Alphabet above $4T market cap
  • China AI race intensifies as Moonshot releases new omni-model ahead of expected DeepSeek breakthrough

💰 Major AI Funding & Investments

Anthropic Closes $10-15B Funding Round at $350B Valuation

Landmark Deal: Anthropic has closed its latest funding round above the initial $10 billion target, landing between $10-15 billion at a staggering $350 billion valuation, with potential for additional contributions from Microsoft and Nvidia.

Key Details:

  • Lead investors: Coatue Management and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC
  • Revenue milestone: CEO Dario Amodei confirmed ~$10 billion in 2025 revenue
  • Valuation growth: Nearly doubled from $183B (September 2025) to $350B
  • Product momentum: Claude Code automation tool driving enterprise adoption

Strategic Significance: The funding round is separate from the $15 billion commitment from Nvidia and Microsoft announced in November 2025, which involves a “circular” deal where Anthropic will purchase $30 billion of compute capacity from Microsoft Azure running on Nvidia chips.

Market Impact: This positions Anthropic among the most valuable private technology companies globally, founded just four years ago by former OpenAI researchers.

Source: CNBC | TechCrunch

AWS Signs Historic $38B Deal with OpenAI

Cloud Infrastructure Mega-Deal: Amazon Web Services signed a $38 billion deal with OpenAI in November 2025, marking AWS’s first major contract with the ChatGPT maker.

Deal Structure:

  • OpenAI will run workloads on AWS infrastructure
  • Utilizes Nvidia’s graphics processing chips
  • Amazon reportedly in talks for potential $10B direct investment in OpenAI
  • Part of broader tech giant positioning in the AI infrastructure race

Competitive Context: While AWS leads the cloud infrastructure market, Microsoft’s Azure has been growing faster due to its early OpenAI partnership. This deal signals AWS’s aggressive move to capture AI workload market share.

Source: CNBC

📊 Big Tech Earnings & AI Investment

Big Tech Earnings Week: $470B AI Capex Under Scrutiny

Critical Week: Microsoft, Meta, and Tesla report Q4 2025 earnings on January 28, with Apple following on January 29. Investors demand proof that massive AI investments are generating returns.

Hyperscaler AI Spending Forecast (2026):

Company 2026 Capex Forecast YoY Growth
Amazon $146B+ 17%+
Meta $110B+ 57%
Microsoft $99B (FY2026) 60%
Alphabet TBD Significant
Total (4 Hyperscalers) $470B+ 34%+

Earnings Expectations:

  • Microsoft: $3.88 EPS on $80.2B revenue (+20.1% and +15.2% YoY)
  • Meta: $8.15 EPS on $58.4B revenue (+1.6% and +20.7% YoY)
  • Magnificent 7 group: Q4 earnings expected to increase +16.9% YoY

Investor Sentiment: “We’re no longer in an environment where companies can beat by 1% to 2% and continue spending on capex and get rewarded,” noted Chris Maxey of Wealthspire.

Source: CNBC | The National

Global AI Spending Projected to Exceed $2.5 Trillion in 2026

Market Outlook: Gartner data indicates global AI spending will surpass $2.5 trillion in 2026, representing a 44% year-over-year increase.

Spending Breakdown:

  • Total AI spending: $2.5T+ (44% YoY growth)
  • AI infrastructure: $1.3T+ ($401B increase from 2025)
  • Enterprise AI adoption: 88% of organizations use AI in at least one business function (McKinsey)

2026 Theme: Industry experts call 2026 the “show me the money” year for AI, where enterprises must demonstrate real ROI on AI investments.

Source: The National | Gartner

🍎 Strategic Partnerships & Corporate AI

Apple-Google Gemini Partnership Powers Major Siri Overhaul

Strategic Alliance: Apple has confirmed its deal with Google to use Gemini AI models for a massive Siri overhaul, marking a significant shift in Apple’s AI strategy.

Partnership Impact:

  • Brought Alphabet’s market cap above $4 trillion threshold
  • Addresses Apple’s perceived AI lag versus competitors
  • Combines Apple’s distribution (2B+ devices) with Google’s AI capabilities
  • Siri revamp expected to be Apple’s most significant AI update

Market Reaction: The partnership validates Google’s Gemini as enterprise-grade AI infrastructure while giving Apple rapid access to frontier AI capabilities.

Source: CNBC | The National

Meta Working on New Frontier AI Model “Avocado”

Frontier AI Development: Meta is developing a new frontier AI model known internally as “Avocado,” part of its aggressive push to compete with OpenAI and Anthropic.

Investment Context:

  • 2026 capex projected at $110B+ (57% growth)
  • Goldman Sachs forecasts $125B this year, $144B by 2027
  • Continued aggressive AI infrastructure buildout

Strategic Position: Despite investor concerns about AI spending without clear ROI, CEO Mark Zuckerberg maintains that Meta is investing for a “future big payoff.”

Source: CNBC

🇨🇳 China AI Competition

Moonshot AI Releases New Omni-Model Ahead of DeepSeek

Domestic AI Race: Alibaba-backed Moonshot AI released an upgrade of its flagship Kimi model on January 27, heating up China’s AI competition ahead of expected DeepSeek developments.

New Capabilities:

  • Process text, images, and videos simultaneously from single prompt
  • Aligns with “omni-model” trend pioneered by OpenAI and Google
  • Targets both consumer and enterprise applications

Competitive Landscape: The release intensifies pressure on DeepSeek, which is expected to release its next major AI model within weeks.

Source: Bloomberg

DeepSeek Expected to Release New AI Model Within Weeks

China AI Milestone: DeepSeek, currently holding 4% of global chatbot market share, is expected to release its next major AI model within weeks, one year after its breakthrough that shook global markets.

Market Context:

  • Global chatbot market share: ChatGPT (68%), Google Gemini (18%), DeepSeek (4%)
  • DeepSeek’s January 2025 model triggered $1 trillion tech stock sell-off
  • Chinese AI startups Zhipu AI and MiniMax recently surged in Hong Kong IPOs

Innovation Approach: DeepSeek continues developing cost-efficient, open-source models despite US chip export restrictions, driving China’s AI innovation forward.

Source: TechXplore | Taipei Times

🔧 AI Infrastructure & Semiconductors

Samsung Nearing HBM4 Supply Milestone

Memory Breakthrough: Samsung is reportedly nearing a major milestone in high-bandwidth memory, with signs it may begin supplying next-generation HBM4 chips soon.

Market Implications:

  • Could diversify HBM supply for Nvidia and other AI chip makers
  • May shift negotiation leverage in AI compute market
  • SK Hynix currently maintains strong position; Micron advancing own roadmap

Infrastructure Impact: HBM availability acts as a throttle on AI deployment. More suppliers can ease bottlenecks, reduce single-vendor risk, and improve pricing stability across the AI stack.

Source: Tech Startups

ASML Reports Strong Q4 Orders Driven by AI Infrastructure

Chip Equipment Surge: ASML shares jumped 6% on January 28 after reporting Q4 orders that beat analyst expectations, citing AI infrastructure development as the key demand driver.

Significance:

  • Validates continued AI infrastructure buildout momentum
  • ASML’s lithography machines critical for advanced chip manufacturing
  • Strong orders suggest sustained semiconductor capex through 2026

Industry Indicator: ASML results serve as bellwether for semiconductor equipment spending, signaling robust AI chip demand pipeline.

Source: Yahoo Finance

🏛️ Regulation & Policy

EU Opens Formal DMA Proceedings Against Google

Regulatory Action: EU regulators have opened formal proceedings to clarify how Google must comply with the Digital Markets Act, with emphasis on data access and interoperability.

Key Points:

  • Focus on preventing gatekeeper advantages from becoming permanent
  • Particular concern as AI services become tightly coupled with search and Android
  • Google warns mandated sharing could create privacy risks and reduce innovation incentives

Broader Context: The DMA’s next phase could reshape Europe’s AI and search competition by making data access a regulatory requirement rather than a business concession.

Source: Tech Startups | AP News

🚀 AI Startup Ecosystem

Multiple AI Startups Secure Significant Funding

January 27 Funding Highlights:

Company Amount Focus Area Lead Investor
Flora $42M AI design tools —
Concourse $12M Series A Agentic finance copilots —
Pace $10M Series A AI insurance automation Sequoia Capital
Risotto $10M AI help desk automation —
Dentio $2.3M Pre-seed Dental AI assistants Andreessen Horowitz

Ecosystem Trends:

  • Vertical AI applications dominating early-stage funding
  • Enterprise AI automation attracting tier-1 VCs
  • AI-native process automation emerging as key category

Source: Tech Startups

📊 Market Impact Analysis

The convergence of Anthropic’s mega-round, Big Tech earnings pressure, and China AI developments signals a pivotal moment in the AI industry’s evolution:

Capital Concentration: Anthropic’s $10-15B round at $350B valuation demonstrates continued investor appetite for frontier AI, even as broader market demands ROI proof.

Infrastructure Arms Race: Combined hyperscaler capex of $470B+ in 2026 reflects unprecedented infrastructure buildout, with AWS’s $38B OpenAI deal showing cloud giants’ aggressive positioning.

US-China Competition: Moonshot and DeepSeek developments highlight China’s continued AI innovation despite chip restrictions, maintaining competitive pressure on US AI leaders.

ROI Reckoning: Big Tech earnings this week will determine whether AI investment remains a “growth narrative” or shifts to “margin and discipline story.”

🔮 Looking Ahead

Key Trends to Watch:

  • Big Tech earnings calls and 2026 AI capex guidance
  • DeepSeek’s expected new model release timing and capabilities
  • Samsung HBM4 production ramp and supply chain implications
  • EU AI Act implementation progress toward August 2026 deadline
  • Anthropic’s potential Microsoft/Nvidia funding additions

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Last Updated: January 28, 2026, 6:00 PM CST