Anthropic abandons $6B Decart AI acquisition

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind the Claude chatbot, has decided against acquiring AI startup Decart AI in a deal valued at approximately $6 billion. The withdrawal from the potential acquisition, which would have been Anthropic's largest ever, was reported on September 8, 2026. The companies had been in talks since at least August 2026, with negotiations reaching an advanced stage by mid-August. Anthropic reportedly completed its due diligence on Decart before ultimately deciding not to proceed with the acquisition. Despite the failed deal, representatives for both companies indicated that they may explore other opportunities for collaboration in the future. Decart AI develops software designed to make artificial intelligence systems run more efficiently and at a lower cost, particularly by optimizing chip performance for AI inference. This technology could have helped Anthropic reduce infrastructure expenses and manage the growing demand for its Claude chatbot. The startup, founded in September 2023 by Israeli engineers, had previously raised approximately $450 million, with a $300 million funding round in May 2026 valuing the company at around $4 billion.