OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Cloud, Microsoft and AWS are offering startups large compute credits and discounts as AI providers compete to lock in enterprise business early; recent OpenAI and Anthropic offers to Y Combinator startups ranged from $500,000 to $2 million in token credits.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Cloud, Microsoft and AWS are offering startups steep discounts, compute credits and other incentives as AI infrastructure and model providers compete to win startup and enterprise customers early, The Wall Street Journal reported. OpenAI and Anthropic recently targeted Y Combinator startups with offers ranging from $500,000 to $2 million in token credits, implying as much as $800 million in combined annual credits. The incentives highlight intensifying competition among major AI providers, which are using subsidized usage and discounted pricing to lower adoption costs and build long-term commercial relationships.