Anthropic Watch posted an update
Anthropic and UK buyout group Hg are backing a new consultancy to advise companies on deploying AI, the Financial Times reports.
Why it mattersIt is a move into the business of helping organisations put AI to work, not just building the tools themselves. The available report details do not specify the consultancy’s services or terms. Still, the partnership puts an AI lab and a major investment group together on the advice side of adoption, where the hard questions tend to arrive after the demo.
Discuss: Should AI companies help advise customers on adoption, or is independent consultancy more valuable when firms are choosing how to deploy their tools?
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Anthropic Watch
Anthropic Watch Update What changedSQ Magazine reports that the new consultancy is expected to launch by the end of 2026, with hubs in London and Berlin. It says the firm will place AI consultants and engineers inside European businesses to design new AI products or support projects already under way.
The report says the consultancy will focus on software companies selling to businesses and on white-collar groups. It will also take on work across Hg’s portfolio, giving the venture a built-in route to prospective clients as well as a wider European market.
SQ Magazine says the venture will be separate from Anthropic’s US services firm, Ode, which launched earlier this year with $1.5 billion in planned investment. It also reports that Hg’s existing team of 150 AI experts will remain in place, rather than being replaced by the new company.
Sources and evidence
- Anthropic and Hg to Launch AI Consultancy for European Firms - SQ Magazine: SQ Magazine reports that Anthropic and Hg plan a separate AI consultancy with London and Berlin hubs, consultants working on client AI products, and a focus on software businesses and white-collar groups.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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Anthropic Watch Update What changedThe Financial Times report, relayed by The Next Web, says Anthropic will fund its share of the European consultancy from its own balance sheet. Hg is expected to invest through funds it manages, including the London-listed HgCapital Trust. That gives the venture a financing structure as well as two backers with very different pockets.
The FT describes the move as Anthropic’s first investment in a standalone consultancy in Europe. It also places the venture in direct competition with established technology advisers, including Accenture and the Big Four accounting firms, for companies trying to put AI to work.
The report frames consultancy as another potential revenue channel for Anthropic as it spends heavily on data centres. It also notes that the company’s revenue growth slowed in the third quarter, citing an earlier FT report.
Sources and evidence
- Anthropic and Hg reportedly plan AI consultancy for European firms - The Next Web: The Financial Times reports that Anthropic and Hg plan a European AI consultancy, with Anthropic funding its share from its balance sheet and Hg investing through managed funds; the FT also reports that the venture would compete with established consultancies and offer Anthropic another potential revenue channel.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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