Anthropic Presses Ahead With Mid-November IPO Plan as AI Rivals Delay Their Listings
Anthropic plans to hold its IPO in the middle of November and could publish its prospectus as early as late October, Reuters reported, even as data-center and AI infrastructure companies shelve their own listings amid an AI valuation pullback.
Anthropic is pressing ahead with plans to hold its initial public offering in the middle of next month, with its prospectus expected to become public as early as late October, Reuters reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The AI lab behind the Claude family of models expects to begin marketing its shares to prospective investors during the week of November 9, one of the people told Reuters. Some investors see the company as worthy of a potential $1.5 trillion valuation, according to the report. Reuters cautioned that the plan and dates are subject to change. Anthropic declined to comment. Stockhouse, also citing sources, reported that the public filing could come as early as Friday.
Rivals delay as AI valuations come under pressure
Anthropic is moving forward while a string of AI infrastructure and data-center companies shelve their own listing plans. Data-center operator Switch and AI infrastructure provider Nscale have pushed their IPOs back to later this year, Reuters reported. Nscale’s delay was partly driven by the need to address comments from Securities and Exchange Commission staff, according to one person. SoftBank-backed SB Energy has also postponed its listing, Reuters previously reported.
South Korean AI chip startup Elice shelved its plans overnight, while Blackstone-backed AirTrunk REIT and Nvidia-backed Firmus have pulled or paused their offerings, Reuters has reported. Oura’s recent IPO attracted little participation from long-only investors, which raised concerns about the depth of institutional demand that normally provides a stable base for newly listed companies.
The pullback follows a rough stretch since September for AI names, as market volatility and rising interest rates made it harder for companies to secure attractive valuations. Shares and bonds of AI operators such as CoreWeave have sold off, and investors have questioned how long heavy AI spending can continue, with chip stocks sliding on Wall Street as those doubts spread.
Investors stay bullish on Anthropic
Despite the turbulence, many large investors remain bullish on Anthropic’s prospects, viewing the company as one of the few ways to gain exposure to a technology sector that long-term investors cannot afford to ignore, Reuters reported. Other issuers are reluctant to compete with Anthropic for institutional investors’ attention and capital, two of the people said.
The retreat from other AI listings reflects growing scrutiny of the capital needed to build data centers and whether future demand will justify it. Recent developments around CoreWeave added to concerns about a slowdown in AI spending, although some market participants do not expect such a downturn to materialize.
The filing would mark a major milestone for one of the most highly valued private AI companies, as the lab tests whether its position at the center of the AI business can overcome a market that would normally counsel delay.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters (via Northland News Radio) and Stockhouse.
