Microsoft plans to spend $500 million annually on Anthropic AI services, building on a recent $5 billion investment. The partnership allows Anthropic's sales to contribute to Microsoft sales quotas, and Microsoft is integrating Anthropic's technology into its products like GitHub and Office 365.

Microsoft announced a $5 billion investment in AI startup Anthropic, which will also receive $10 billion from Nvidia. Anthropic plans to purchase $30 billion in Azure compute capacity and collaborate with Nvidia to enhance its AI models.

Anthropic and Microsoft have expanded their partnership, making Claude Sonnet 4.5, Haiku 4.5, and Opus 4.1 available in public preview on Microsoft Foundry. This integration allows developers to use Claude for coding, agent development, and office tasks while streamlining procurement processes within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Rishi Sunak has been appointed as a senior adviser to Microsoft and AI firm Anthropic, adding to his existing roles with Goldman Sachs and various investment firms. His advisory positions, which come with potential conflicts of interest concerns, will not involve UK policy matters, and he plans to donate his earnings to the Richmond Project charity aimed at promoting social mobility.

Microsoft is planning to reduce its dependence on OpenAI by acquiring artificial intelligence technology from rival Anthropic. This move reflects a strategic shift in Microsoft's approach to AI development as competition in the sector intensifies.