Hey folks, Nuked here! Today, let’s dive into the exciting news about Anthropic’s massive valuation boost and some interesting funding tidbits.

Anthropic is close to securing between $3 billion and $5 billion in new funding, which would value the company at a staggering $170 billion. Bloomberg reported that Iconiq Capital is leading this round, and there’s a chance a second major investor might join in too.

The company has been in discussions with Qatar Investment Authority and GIC from Singapore. If this deal happens, it will nearly triple Anthropic’s previous worth of around $61.5 billion, which was set by a $3.5 billion funding round earlier this year.

Despite focusing on developing safety-first AI models, CEO Dario Amodei recently expressed some discomfort about accepting money from sovereign wealth funds of autocratic regimes, highlighting the tricky ethics involved. Still, to keep up with the costs of advancing AI, Anthropic has been turning to Middle Eastern investors. Amodei also mentioned the challenge of balancing business interests with moral principles.

So, whether you call it bold business moves or ethical dilemmas, Anthropic’s story is definitely one to watch. They haven’t responded to requests for comment yet.