Anthropic Plans New AI Model to Fight OpenAI as IPO Pressure Builds

Anthropic is considering launching a new AI model to counter OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, three sources told Reuters. The move comes as the company prepares for an IPO. CEO Dario Amodei had earlier called for the AI industry to slow down model releases and address safety risks.

OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, released this month, has gained rapid traction among business customers. Industry spending data shows Astra accounts for about 13% of enterprise AI spending, while Anthropic's Claude Fable holds about 8%. On OpenRouter, OpenAI models also overtook Anthropic in user spending last week for the first time in over two years.

Some investors believe Astra is not a major threat, as Anthropic has a strong lead in enterprise AI tools and switching vendors takes time. By late July, Anthropic's annualized revenue run rate exceeded $65 billion, while OpenAI's topped $40 billion.

The bigger challenge comes from open-source and open-weight models. Meta plans to reduce its use of Anthropic models and build more in-house AI. OpenAI has paused its IPO plans, and Anthropic's listing may be delayed until after the U.S. midterm elections in November.