Anthropic buys $3.4bn of gas-fired generators to power its AI data centres

The deal

The Financial Times reported on Sunday, 8 November, that Anthropic has agreed to pay $3.4bn for gas-fired generators to power its AI data centres. The purchase covers commitments for 1.7 gigawatts of heavy-duty generators, signed in late September with OnePWR Solutions, a power supplier in San Antonio, Texas. The paper called it the biggest publicly known single purchase of power equipment by an AI company. Anthropic did not acquire OnePWR, and none of its employees moved across, according to a person familiar with the matter. The account rests on that single source, and neither company has confirmed the agreement publicly.

How the arrangement works

OnePWR had ordered the generators from Caterpillar about two years earlier but lacked the money to complete that purchase, according to the FT. Anthropic originally planned to buy electricity from OnePWR, but it instead took over the equipment orders along with the engineering and construction work needed to install the machines. That route gives the company access to equipment available in the near term and over the next two years, sparing it some of the long waits that now mark the market. It is not known where the generators will be used. Neither company had immediately responded to a Bloomberg follow-up.

Why AI companies are buying power

Demand for electricity to run data centres is rising fast, while makers of generators and turbines struggle to fill orders with lead times stretching years ahead. AI developers have usually relied on utilities and specialist power companies, but for AI firms, securing enough electricity has become as important as having the most advanced chips. The FT notes that SpaceX's xAI, which SpaceX owns, bought mobile gas turbines for $2bn earlier this year. Alphabet bought energy developer Intersect in late 2025, showing that other technology groups have moved in the same direction.

Anthropic, OnePWR generators3.4

xAI, mobile gas turbines2

Anthropic, OnePWR generators

3.4 $bn

xAI, mobile gas turbines

2 $bn

Data from the article text

Anthropic's wider commitments

Anthropic's documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 2 November, ahead of a planned stock market listing, cite contractual commitments of about $895.4bn, almost all for computing power and infrastructure. Nearly half of that amount is due to be spent by the end of 2030. The company may list on the stock market as soon as November 2026, a debut that could rank among the largest listings ever. Reuters reported in September that the company is expected to invest more than $500bn in its AI infrastructure over the next ten years. Until now Anthropic had relied heavily on outside partners for power, chips, data centres and land, and the move also aims to leave it better prepared for disruptions it cannot control.