Anthropic is expected to receive a high speculative junk rating from credit rating agencies following its upcoming initial public offering, based on a recent report from the Financial Times. Investment giant Blackstone, which serves as the anchor investor in a recent $63 billion chip-financing deal for Anthropic, informed investors that it now forecasts a double B range rating for the AI lab. This projection marks a shift from Blackstone's previous expectation that the Claude creator would achieve an investment-grade rating before 2027. Both Anthropic and Blackstone declined to comment when contacted by TechCrunch regarding the credit forecast.
The anticipated junk rating would likely make it more difficult and costlier for Anthropic to secure financing for the massive spending that supports its operations. Over the past twelve months, the artificial intelligence lab has engaged in heavy spending and secured large compute power deals to fuel its growth, sparking concerns among market observers. Anthropic officially filed for its initial public offering earlier in the week, generating widespread industry speculation about how the public offering will influence the broader artificial intelligence sector. This credit rating shift highlights the financial pressures and high risks associated with funding massive AI infrastructure developments.