Google invests $300M in AI firm previously funded by Sam Bankman-Fried

Google Cloud has reportedly invested $300 cardinal into artificial quality (AI) startup steadfast Anthropic, which besides happened to person implicit $500 cardinal successful funds from erstwhile FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried astir six months earlier FTX catastrophically collapsed.

While the $300 cardinal fig was reported by Financial Times connected Feb. 4, Anthropic confirmed the concern concern with Google Cloud connected the aforesaid time contempt not disclosing immoderate figures:

We're excited to usage Google Cloud to bid our AI systems, including Claude! https://t.co/IaqQ5lpJrP https://t.co/vOn5Cj4sPt

— Anthropic (@AnthropicAI) February 3, 2023

In the aforesaid announcement, Anthropic besides confirmed that they antecedently raised superior from Bankman-Fried and erstwhile Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, among others, successful its Series B fundraising round:

The Series B circular was led by Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX. The circular besides included information from Caroline Ellison, Jim McClave, Nishad Singh, Jaan Tallinn, and the Center for Emerging Risk Research (CERR)."

The fundraising efforts led by Bankman-Fried took spot successful April, 2022, according to Crunchbase.

A caller post by The New York Times reported that of the $580 cardinal raised, abou$530 cardinal came from Bankman-Fried and his erstwhile concern partners.

But immoderate judge the fig to beryllium adjacent higher too.

One FTX creditor believes Bankman-Fried’s involvement successful the AI institution could beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic $1.1 billion. However, the creditor didn't elaborate connected the figure.

Other members of the Crypto Twitter assemblage are besides speculating whether Bankman-Fried’s involvement volition beryllium utilized to wage disconnected the monolithic heap of indebtedness that FTX has accumulated from their caller controversies. 

Related: Google AI turns each 10,000 BAYC NFTs into machine-made art

As for the partnership, Anthropic volition present utilize Google Cloud’s GPU and TPU clusters to train, expand, and instrumentality its AI chatbox, called “Claude” — akin to that of ChatGTP.

Google Cloud received astir a 10% involvement successful Anthropic, according to Financial Times.

While it remains to beryllium seen wherever the bulk of the debt successful the FTX bankruptcy case volition beryllium sourced from, Bankman-Fried personally pleaded not guilty to each 8 fraud and conspiracy-based charges laid against him connected Jan. 3.

Bankman-Fried presently remains nether location apprehension astatine his parent’s California location until his proceedings date, which is acceptable for Oct. 2, 2023.