TradingKey - On August 12, Eastern Time, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Anthropic is in talks to acquire AI startup Decart AI in a deal valued at approximately $6 billion.
However, the deal has not been finalized, and negotiations could still fall apart.
Founded in 2023, Decart AI focuses on generative video and chip performance optimization. Its core technology uses so-called "world models" to modify live video streams in real time, while helping AI developers maximize performance across various chips.
In June this year, Decart released its latest world model, Oasis 3, designed specifically to accelerate the training of robotics and autonomous driving systems, aiming to bridge the gap between virtual simulation and the physical world.
If completed, the acquisition would have dual significance for Anthropic. First, it would bolster its video capabilities. While Claude has strengths in text and code, it still lags in multimodal capabilities, particularly video generation. Decart, on the other hand, has built deep expertise in generative video over the past year, with its Lucy 2.5 model released in July achieving real-time streaming visual effects generation for the first time. Second, it would enhance its AI developer toolchain. One of Decart's core businesses is helping developers maximize chip performance, which aligns with Anthropic's recent strategy of building a comprehensive toolchain through acquisitions.
Over the past six months, Anthropic has been active in acquisitions, acquiring full-stack toolchain company Bun in December 2025, vision-driven AI automation company Vercept in February this year, and software infrastructure company Stainless for at least $300 million in May. The latter previously provided SDK generation services to multiple leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Google (GOOGL). The transaction was interpreted by the market as Anthropic gaining direct control over competitors' developer toolchains.
The $6 billion acquisition price represents a high premium for a startup founded just a few years ago. Decart completed a $300 million funding round in May this year, which valued the company at approximately $4 billion, with participation from institutions including Nvidia (NVDA) and Toyota. If Anthropic ultimately closes the deal at $6 billion, it would mean a 50% valuation surge in less than three months.