Intelligence report reveals that AI startup Anthropic is forecasting an over two-fold increase in its annual revenue run rate for next year, potentially nearing a tripling, driven by the rapid adoption of enterprise-level products. According to insider information, the company aims to achieve an internal target of reaching an annual revenue run rate of $9 billion by the end of 2025. The annual revenue run rate reflects projected annual revenue based on current sales velocity. Additionally, the sources mentioned that Anthropic has set a more ambitious goal for 2026: a baseline target of doubling its revenue run rate to $20 billion, with a best-case scenario potentially reaching $26 billion. Anthropic noted that its annual revenue run rate is nearing $7 billion this month but declined to comment on future expectations. Previously, the company reported that this figure exceeded $5 billion in August.
On Wednesday, Anthropic launched a new version of its cheapest AI model, Haiku. This move aligns with the company's overall strategy to attract enterprises seeking reliable performance at significantly lower prices than its premium models. The price of Haiku 4.5 is approximately one-third that of Anthropic's medium model, Sonnet 4. The surge in demand for AI underscores this revenue projection, reflecting sustained interest from businesses in generative AI tools, which explains the excitement among investors despite scrutiny over AI spending, particularly in infrastructure.
Concerns have been raised by some that the current scale of investment may be difficult to maintain. The core of Anthropic's expansion is rooted in the widespread adoption of enterprise-level products tailored for various institutions. Currently, Anthropic serves over 300,000 commercial and enterprise customers, which contribute around 80% of its revenue. Insiders added that Anthropic allows clients to utilize its models through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which facilitate data interaction among different software. The company's offerings include code generation tool Claude Code, which has seen its annual revenue run rate approach $1 billion since its launch earlier this year.
This trajectory of revenue growth positions Anthropic as a formidable competitor to ChatGPT developer OpenAI. OpenAI reported that its annual revenue surpassed $13 billion in August and is set to exceed $20 billion by year-end, propelled by the ongoing expansion of ChatGPT, which now boasts over 800 million weekly active users.
Before reaching these revenue milestones, San Francisco-based Anthropic has undergone a rapid phase of financing and valuation increase. After raising $13 billion in a Series F funding round led by ICONIQ, the company’s latest valuation soared to $183 billion, more than doubling from $61.5 billion in March. Anthropic has received investments from tech giants like Alphabet and Amazon and has developed the Claude series of large language models to compete with OpenAI's GPT series. The company emphasizes AI safety and focuses on developing models suitable for enterprise scenarios. Its models have also spurred the growth of startups in the code generation space, such as Cursor.
Anthropic is continuously expanding its sales to government clients and venturing into international markets. In August, the company announced it would offer the Claude model to the U.S. government at a price of $1. Additionally, Anthropic plans to open its first office in Bangalore, India, in 2026, as India ranks as its second-largest market after the U.S. To meet rising demand, the company aims to double its international workforce this year and quadruple its AI team size.