Anthropic hires former Google TPU lead to develop custom AI chips

Anthropic has hired Amir Salek, a former Google executive who helped lead the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) project, to join its computing team. Salek, who oversaw the delivery of the first seven generations of Google's TPU chips, will report to James Bradbury.

While Anthropic currently sources hardware from suppliers such as Nvidia, Google, and Amazon, the company has signaled intentions to develop its own custom silicon. This move aims to mitigate supply chain pressures and better align hardware architecture with its specific algorithmic requirements. This strategy mirrors efforts by competitors like OpenAI, which is working with Broadcom on its “Jalapeño” chip.

To support its expanding data center infrastructure, Anthropic is aggressively securing capacity through various agreements. This includes a reported $250 million initial chip order from the UK-based startup Fractile, as well as capacity agreements with Riot Platforms and Volta Infra.