Anthropic, one of the leading players in the artificial intelligence market, intends to press ahead with preparations to go public. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company plans to set a price range for the offering as early as this week, and trading in its shares could begin on Thursday or Friday of next week.

The decision comes amid investor jitters: the Nasdaq recently experienced one of the biggest sell-offs in its history. Adding to the uncertainty are scandalous reports surrounding an executive associated with the artificial intelligence boom: news has emerged of his affair with a woman suspected of spying for China. However, these circumstances apparently have not prompted Anthropic to postpone its IPO plans, TechCrunch reports.

Investors reassess expectations for the company's valuation

Market participants will be paying particular attention to Anthropic's valuation. It will serve as one indicator of how resilient investor interest in AI-related businesses remains.

Until recently, a potential valuation of $1.5 trillion was under discussion. That was already significantly below the $2 trillion figure floated a few months earlier. Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, some institutional investors are pushing for a valuation below $1.5 trillion.

The upcoming offering could therefore reveal how much market expectations have shifted following a period of rapidly rising AI company valuations. Anthropic's final valuation will be an important benchmark not only for its shareholders but also for other industry participants.

OpenAI has already reached a $1.25 trillion valuation

The situation at Anthropic's main competitor also illustrates how high the stakes are in the competition for capital. Last week, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, reportedly reached a valuation of $1.25 trillion after raising an additional $11 billion.

The company had initially aimed to raise $20 billion, but the new funding ultimately fell substantially short of that target.

A comparison of the two companies' valuations will make Anthropic's IPO particularly revealing. If the offering succeeds, it will confirm investors' willingness to back the largest AI businesses even amid market volatility. If the valuation comes in significantly below earlier expectations, however, it could signal a more cautious view of the industry's prospects.

For now, these remain plans outlined by The Wall Street Journal's sources: the final terms of the offering and Anthropic's actual valuation will become known later.