European AI-Related Stocks Rise on Anthropic's $11.6 Billion Computing Deal

Shares in European companies tied to the artificial intelligence supply chain rallied on Friday after AI developer Anthropic announced a computing infrastructure agreement worth at least $11.6 billion.

The deal provided a fresh tailwind for the sector, reinforcing investor confidence in the continued, large-scale buildout of AI-related infrastructure.

The Anthropic-Akamai Agreement

Under the terms of the deal, content delivery network company Akamai will provide Anthropic with access to its central processing units (CPUs). In return, Anthropic will receive a warrant to purchase Akamai Series B shares at $111.33 each, which are convertible into 7.7 million common shares.

This agreement, which follows a previous $1.8 billion computing deal between the two companies earlier this year, is Akamai's largest contract to date. Akamai stated it expects to spend approximately $5.5 billion on capital expenditures related to the agreement, a figure more than six times its total planned capital spending for 2025.

Market Impact in Europe

The positive sentiment spread to European markets, lifting shares across the semiconductor and data center value chain. The rally highlights the global nature of the AI hardware ecosystem.

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Key stock movements included:

• Semiconductor Equipment: Netherlands-based ASML Holding rose 2.3%, while peers BE Semiconductor Industries and ASM International gained 1.6% and 1.03%, respectively.
• Chipmakers: Infineon Technologies advanced 1.2% and STMicroelectronics climbed 2.01%.
• Data Center Infrastructure: Siemens Energy and electrification specialist Prysmian both saw their shares increase by 2%.

Context and Significance

The deal underscores the immense and growing demand for computing power from leading AI firms like Anthropic, which develops the Claude family of AI models. The company has been aggressively expanding its capacity to meet customer demand, striking similar deals with providers such as Alphabet's Google.

For investors, the massive capital outlay signals a durable investment cycle in AI infrastructure. This benefits not only the high-profile chip designers but also a wide array of companies involved in manufacturing semiconductor equipment, producing components, and building out the physical data centers that power AI applications.