[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong] AI startup Anthropic is reported to be in talks to raise new funding based on a valuation of about $900 billion. If the talks lead to a deal, it would exceed OpenAI's most recent valuation.

CNBC reported on April 29 that Anthropic is holding private discussions on a new funding round. A person familiar with the matter said no term sheet has been signed and negotiations are continuing. Anthropic did not provide an official position in response to inquiries.

The talks are drawing attention not only for the size of the valuation but also for Anthropic's growth pace. CNBC said Anthropic has been rapidly closing in on OpenAI and that if the funding is completed, the valuation gap between the two companies would effectively reverse. OpenAI was valued at about $852 billion in a funding round in late March. At the time, it was the highest among privately held AI companies.

Anthropic has recently been quickly building a presence in the enterprise AI market. Its coding support service, Claude Code, has emerged as a key growth driver and appears to be underpinning revenue growth.

The company said earlier this month its annual recurring revenue reached $30 billion. Anthropic directly cited growing demand for Claude Code as a driver of that growth. An analysis says as more companies seek to introduce generative AI tools into real work environments, competitiveness in coding and development assistance is being highlighted.

Anthropic is an AI startup founded in 2020 by former OpenAI employees. As the generative AI market expanded rapidly after the launch of ChatGPT, it established itself as one of OpenAI's main competitors. More recently, it has broadened its market influence by emphasizing a safety-focused AI development strategy and expanding enterprise services.

Still, the funding round is not at a confirmed stage. With no term sheet signed, the valuation and fundraising terms could change during negotiations. The investor lineup and the amount to be raised have also not been disclosed.

Even so, the market is viewing the talks as an example of aggressive capital inflows into the generative AI industry. As competition over AI infrastructure and model development intensifies, valuations of major companies are also rising quickly.

Industry attention is focused on whether Anthropic can secure a valuation of around $900 billion and complete the fundraising. It is also watching whether revenue growth driven by Claude Code will become a key basis for additional fundraising.