UK eyes London expansion for Anthropic after US defence clash
The government is looking to lure AI giant Anthropic to expand its presence in the UK, in a bid to capitalise on the start-up’s clash with the US defence deparment.
First reported in the Financial Times, staff at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) have sketched out proposals for the $380bn (£287.4bn) company, ranging from a dual listing to an office expansion in London, according to multiple people with knowledge of the plans.
The plans will be put to Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei upon his visit to the UK in late May as part of a trip to meet European customers and policymakers, with No 10 supportive of DSIT’s work.
Stepping up efforts
The government’s efforts to persuade the San Francisco-headquartered startup to boost its UK presence beyond an existing London office have ramped up in recent weeks.
The intensifying bid to woo the company comes after the US defence department designated the start-up a supply-chain risk, according to people familiar with the matter.
US President Donald Trump also criticised the company, calling those in employment at the firm “leftwing nut jobs” after it refused to budge on “red lines” regarding the use of its technology in warfighting.
In a Truth Social post at the end of February, Trump wrote: “The United States of America will never allow a radical left, woke company to dictate how our great military fights and win wars!”.
The US government ultimately blacklisted the company after its refusal to allow the military to use its AI chatbot Claude for US surveillance or autonomous weapons, ceasing its lucrative contract with the Pentagon.
A US judge temporarily blocked the blacklisting and the firm has a second lawsuit pending over the supply-chain risk designation.
Ending foreign AI reliance
Just a week later London mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to Amodei inviting the firm to move to the city, hailing it as a “steadfast” base for his company.
He wrote: “I believe that London can provide a stable, proportionate and pro-innovation environment in which this kind of AI can flourish.”
UK leaders bid to court the firm also comes amid a wider push by governments around the world to create and boost AI capabilities domestically and dwindle their reliance on foreign AI companies.
The UK unveiled plans to launch a £40m state-backed research lab for work in AI last month, after officials realised they lack a homegrown competitor to the top US labs and companies.
Officials have also sought to strengthen partnerships with top US AI talent, with Anthropic rival Open AI committing to expanding its London presence and making the capital its biggest research hub outside the US.
Google has also bolstered its UK standing since its acquisition of AI lab Deep Mind in 2014, with the search giant operating out of a roughly £1bn site in King’s Cross.
Anthropic has around 200 employees in Britain and appointed former prime minister Rishi Sunak as a senior adviser last year.
Anthropic IPO
The country’s efforts also come as the start-up prepares for an initial public offering.
The San Francisco-based company, best known for its Claude chatbot, has begun preliminary discussions with leading Wall Street banks including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley about underwriting roles, according to reports.
While the plans remain under consideration, an October listing would land at a pivotal moment for markets, with AI firms attracting unprecedented levels of capital and scrutiny.
One person familiar with the government’s proposals said “the dream” would be to persuade the start-up to dual list its shares in the UK and US.
The London stock exchange is not known for its AI prowess, as despite having a number of technology stocks it has yet failed to woo a big-player in the market to list in the capital and locking it out of a wide source of capital.
Business secretary Peter Kyle, told the FT that Anthropic was one of many fast-growing companies he wanted to invest more in the UK.
The DSIT and Anthropic were contacted for comment.