What happened
Communications Today reports, citing Bloomberg News and people familiar with the matter, that Anthropic has decided not to acquire AI startup Decart after exploring a deal and conducting due diligence. The reported talks valued Decart at about $6 billion, but no agreement was finalized. Representatives for Anthropic and Decart declined to comment, so the development has not been independently confirmed.
Communications Today says Anthropic had been considering the acquisition of Decart AI, an Israeli startup founded in 2023 by Dean and Orian Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev. According to the report, Anthropic completed due diligence but ultimately walked away. The account relies on unnamed people familiar with private information; both companies declined to comment, and no public transaction document is cited.
The reported deal was discussed at approximately $6 billion, although the report says nothing had been finalized. Bloomberg News had previously reported in August that negotiations could collapse. Communications Today also reports that Decart raised $300 million in May in a round led by Radical Ventures, with participation from Nvidia, Atreides Management, Valor Equity Partners and Adobe Ventures, valuing the company at nearly $4 billion according to The Wall Street Journal.
Decart’s business includes an optimization stack intended to improve the efficiency of chips used for AI model training and inference. The company also develops world models and Lucy, a real-time video system that can simulate clothing or accessory try-ons. The report identifies eBay as both an investor and customer, and says Decart’s technology has been used by online influencers, advertising companies and streaming platforms. These operational claims are reported by Communications Today and are not independently verified here.
Source details: communicationstoday.co.in ↗
Why it matters
The reported decision illustrates the strategic and financial uncertainty surrounding acquisitions intended to expand AI computing capacity. Decart develops software designed to improve chip efficiency for AI training and inference, which could have addressed Anthropic’s growing infrastructure needs. If accurate, Anthropic may need to pursue other ways to increase efficiency or capacity. The report does not establish why the talks ended or whether Anthropic has selected another partner.
The reported acquisition would have connected Anthropic’s demand for computing capacity with Decart’s software for making AI chips work more efficiently. That combination could have affected the cost and scalability of training and serving large models, but the report provides no independent performance measurements or evidence that an acquisition would have delivered those benefits.
The decision is also relevant to the AI industry’s consolidation cycle. Decart’s reported valuation and funding indicate that infrastructure-efficiency software and world-model technology are attracting significant investor interest, while Anthropic’s withdrawal shows that exploratory talks can end even after due diligence. The reasons for the decision remain unknown.
There is no reported change to Anthropic or Decart products, customer access, pricing, or availability. The practical implication for developers and businesses is therefore limited for now: the report describes a corporate transaction that did not occur, rather than a new service or capability.
What to watch next
The key next developments are direct confirmation from Anthropic or Decart, evidence of any continuing commercial or technical collaboration, and further reporting on Anthropic’s infrastructure strategy. It is also unclear whether Decart will raise additional funding, pursue another acquisition, or remain independent. No new product access, customer terms, or pricing changes are reported.
Independent confirmation is the most important unresolved question. Neither Anthropic nor Decart confirmed the decision, and the report does not identify a public filing, signed agreement or termination document.
Watch for whether the companies pursue a commercial or technical partnership, as one source told Communications Today that other collaboration remained possible. The scope, timing and terms of any such arrangement are unknown.
Further reporting may clarify whether Anthropic is pursuing alternative infrastructure acquisitions or investments, and whether Decart remains independent or seeks another strategic transaction. No such next move is confirmed in the source.