Anthropic looks to hire six-figure role for negotiating data center deals to fuel Europe AI push

Anthropic is intensifying its efforts to secure data center agreements in Europe to support its AI models. The company is currently on the hunt for a principal negotiator who will focus on acquiring compute capacity in the region. As U.S. hyperscalers are projected to invest over $600 billion in AI infrastructure by 2026, Anthropic is eager to leverage this rapid growth. Although the company has recently announced several data center arrangements in the U.S., European deals have yet to materialize, but that may soon change. The job posting, located in London, highlights the need for a 'Transaction Principal' who will be instrumental in driving the commercial sourcing and execution of transactions related to European data center capacities. Anthropic has not provided any comments regarding this recruitment or its European data center plans. In a significant commitment, Anthropic recently disclosed intentions to invest more than $100 billion in Amazon Web Services technology over the next decade. Additionally, the firm has entered into an expanded agreement with Broadcom for approximately 3.5 gigawatts of computing capacity. A source close to the matter indicated that Anthropic is actively exploring opportunities to procure data center capacity directly from global developers. This new role, which offers a salary range of £225,000 ($303,806) to £270,000, is deemed crucial for securing the infrastructure needed to support Anthropic’s advanced AI systems across Europe. Responsibilities will involve sourcing commercial deals, managing outreach to developers, and negotiating terms. The ideal candidate should possess experience in the data center markets of major European hubs like Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin, while also understanding the dynamics of the Nordics and Southern Europe. In a broader context, the Nordics have emerged as pivotal for AI infrastructure in Europe, thanks to their lower energy costs. Recently, Microsoft announced plans to increase its compute capacity at an Nscale facility in Norway, while OpenAI was reportedly negotiating for capacity from this same tech giant. Earlier this year, Nebius revealed ambitions to establish one of Europe's largest AI factories in Finland. Furthermore, Microsoft has announced substantial investments in data centers in Portugal and Spain, set to commence in 2025, with Oracle also unveiling cloud infrastructure developments in Italy. Despite these advancements, high energy costs have hindered some AI infrastructure initiatives. OpenAI recently confirmed it paused its U.K. Stargate project due to rising energy expenses and regulatory challenges. Nevertheless, both Anthropic and OpenAI have expressed intentions to expand their European operations in the coming weeks.