Anthropic Weighs New AI Model As OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra Threatens Enterprise Lead

Anthropic is considering launching a new artificial intelligence model to counter OpenAI's growing momentum following the release of GPT-6 Astra, three people familiar with the company's plans told Reuters, as the AI developer prepares for a potential initial public offering and weighs how aggressively to spend on new products.

The deliberations come at an awkward moment for Anthropic. Chief Executive Dario Amodei has called for the AI industry to slow the release of sophisticated models because of concerns about safety, while the company is now considering whether competitive pressure from OpenAI requires it to accelerate its own model development.

"We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models," Amodei wrote in a 3,800-word essay on September 12.

His essay warned of a future in which large numbers of AI agents could operate across the internet and potentially outpace human control. The call for a slowdown received support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Yet OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, released on September 3, has gained traction among businesses, raising questions among some investors about whether Anthropic can maintain its position as a leading provider of enterprise AI tools.

Anthropic is evaluating the safety of its next model as part of its deliberations over whether to release it, one person familiar with the matter said.

The company is also weighing the financial implications of another major model launch. People familiar with Anthropic's thinking said some internal discussions are focused on balancing investment in new models with efforts to improve profitability, as higher interest rates make investors increasingly focused on when AI companies can convert rapid revenue growth into sustainable profits.

The debate shows the competing pressures facing the companies at the center of the AI boom. They must continue investing heavily to keep pace with rapidly advancing models, while investors are demanding clearer paths to cash generation. At the same time, competition from open-source and open-weight models, particularly those developed in China, is giving businesses alternatives to the leading commercial AI providers.

GPT-6 Astra Changes The Enterprise Race

OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra this month with improvements in computer use, software engineering, cybersecurity, and professional tasks. Its reception among enterprise customers and developers has prompted some potential Anthropic IPO investors to reconsider the balance between the two companies.

Anthropic has been viewed for months as the leader in enterprise AI, helped by demand for its Claude models among large businesses. But early spending data suggests that OpenAI is beginning to make inroads.

GPT-6 Astra represented about 13% of enterprise AI spending tracked by corporate expense platform Ramp, compared with roughly 8% for Anthropic's Claude Fable, according to the latest data.

OpenAI has also moved ahead of Anthropic on OpenRouter, a widely used platform that routes developer traffic among different AI models. OpenRouter said users spent more on OpenAI models than Anthropic models last week, marking the first time OpenAI had led on that measure in more than two and a half years.

The figures do not necessarily establish a lasting shift in enterprise market share. Some investors who already hold Anthropic shares, as well as those considering investments in both companies' potential IPOs, said they do not view Astra as an immediate threat to Anthropic because of the size of Anthropic's existing enterprise business and the lengthy process involved in replacing AI vendors embedded in large companies.

Anthropic's annualized revenue run rate exceeded $65 billion by the end of July, compared with about $9 billion at the end of 2025. Reuters has previously reported that the company is projecting revenue of roughly $190 billion to $200 billion in 2028.

OpenAI's annualized revenue run rate surpassed $40 billion in July.

The numbers highlight the unusual economics of the AI market. OpenAI is gaining ground on some usage measures, while Anthropic continues to report a larger annualized revenue run rate. Investors also expect leadership among Anthropic, OpenAI, Alphabet's Google and other major AI developers to change repeatedly as new generations of models are released.

That makes any lead potentially temporary.

Open-Source Models Create A Broader Threat

The competitive challenge may ultimately extend well beyond OpenAI. Investors say the expansion of open-source and open-weight AI models could put greater pressure on the business models of leading commercial providers. Companies can use these models to reduce token costs and develop more of their own AI infrastructure instead of relying entirely on providers such as Anthropic and OpenAI.

That could make the economics of frontier AI more difficult even as overall adoption accelerates. The leading commercial providers are spending heavily on computing capacity, model training and research, while customers increasingly have alternatives that allow them to keep more of the AI stack in-house.

Meta Platforms has been one of Anthropic's largest customers but is seeking to reduce its reliance on Anthropic's models as it develops more AI capabilities internally, according to people familiar with the matter.

Therefore, the challenge is becoming two-dimensional for Anthropic. OpenAI is competing directly for enterprise customers with more capable commercial models, while open-weight alternatives could pressure pricing and encourage customers to build more of their own systems.

The tension is growing as Anthropic considers going public. OpenAI has eased some of the immediate pressure on the IPO race. Altman said on Saturday that OpenAI would not go public in 2026, citing AI safety concerns and saying it was not an appropriate time for a listing.

Anthropic, meanwhile, could delay its IPO until after the November US midterm elections, according to two people familiar with the matter. The offering has already been pushed back from earlier plans, with Reuters previously reporting that marketing could begin no earlier than mid-October.

A new model launch before an IPO would give investors another data point for judging Anthropic's ability to defend its enterprise position, but it would also raise questions about spending and the company's commitment to Amodei's call for a slower pace of AI development.