Aggregate AI startup acquisition by major tech companies in 2023

Apple leads among major tech companies, or big tech, in the acquisition of smaller AI startups as of 2023. It had engaged in the acquisition of more than three times the number of AI companies than Amazon. The acquisition of AI startup companies comes as large tech companies compete to stay ahead in the race for AI technological dominance.

Microsoft leads the startup race

The current front-runner of the AI race has been OpenAI, strengthened by its connection and funding from Microsoft. It rose into the limelight at the end of 2022 with its release of the phenomenally popular ChatGPT. Microsoft’s funding has caused some consternation among authorities in the United States, questioning the distinction between the two entities. Anthropic is a hot topic

Equity deals ballooning

The largest equity deal among AI startups in 2023 was with Anthropic, having attracted a staggering 2.15 billion U.S. dollars in equity funding through the year. Its funding comes primarily from Google and Amazon in their efforts to catch up with the lead held by Microsoft and OpenAI. Anthropic’s AI, Claude, is lauded as one of the most capable large language models on the market, competing with other top contenders such as GPT 4.0 and Google’s Gemini.