Anthropic has bought natural gas turbines worth $3.4 billion, directly joining the battle to secure power for AI infrastructure, IT media outlet TechCrunch reported on Nov. 9 local time.

Anthropic is securing generation equipment by taking over Caterpillar generators that equipment supplier OnePower had originally ordered.

The equipment being secured can produce up to 1.7 gigawatts of electricity. Anthropic has preferred to borrow external resources rather than buy physical infrastructure directly. But as demand for AI computing surges, uncertainty in the power market has grown, and it appears to have shifted to direct purchases.

Anthropic said in its May IPO filing that it is paying $1.25 billion each month through May 2029 to use xAI's computing power. In the filing, Anthropic wrote: "We expect to enter into additional service agreements similar to this." That meant it would expand external infrastructure leasing deals, but changes in the power procurement environment appear to have driven a shift in strategy.

The natural gas turbine market is already facing worsening supply bottlenecks. The turbine delivery backlog is expected to continue into the early 2030s, and waiting times for grid connections are also lengthening in a similar way. That is why assessments are emerging that Anthropic's purchase effectively looks like a "last resort".

The deal structure also went through twists and turns. OnePower ordered the turbines years ago, not days ago, but it was reported to have failed to secure financing to complete the purchase. Anthropic initially planned to buy the equipment from OnePower, but later changed course to deal directly with the manufacturer, Caterpillar.

It has not been confirmed why OnePower failed to raise financing despite demand from Anthropic. Still, the possibility has been raised that Anthropic sought to keep the generating capacity tied up for itself without letting it go to rivals, as moves among AI companies to lock up power itself are strengthening.

This trend is not limited to Anthropic. Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have also announced plans to build large natural gas power plants at data centre sites instead of relying on public power grids. As power demand from AI data centres surges, a trend is spreading to reduce reliance on grids and raise the share of self-procurement.

At the same time, rising natural gas demand is also affecting the U.S. energy market. Hydraulic fracturing-based natural gas production is regaining momentum, and a forecast was also presented that if planned capacity expansions proceed, U.S. data centre natural gas consumption in 2035 could exceed the combined level of Germany and Japan.

Still, expanding self-generation does not guarantee cost stability. Hyperscale operators are also exposed to volatility in natural gas prices. One analyst expected natural gas prices in some markets could rise more than threefold by the end of the decade. AI companies are locking up generation equipment to secure power, but in the long term the burden of fuel prices has remained a new variable.