Anthropic opening Australian office

US-based AI safety and research company Anthropic has revealed plans to expand into Australia and New Zealand by opening an office in Sydney.

The office, Anthropic’s fourth in Asia–Pacific, will initially focus on supporting the company’s enterprise, startup and research customers. In the region, this includes enterprises such as Canva, Quantium and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as well as startups in fields including AgTech, physical AI and climate technology.

Australia ranks fourth globally in usage of Anthropic’s Claude.ai generative AI platform, with New Zealand ranking eighth. As part of its Australian expansion, Anthropic will be hiring a team in Sydney, and deepening its engagement with Australian institutions to collaborate on projects aimed at advancing Australia’s national interests, according to Anthropic MD of International Chris Ciauri.

“We’re excited by the ways organisations in Australia and New Zealand are applying AI to areas of national importance — financial services, agricultural technology, clean energy innovation, healthcare delivery, cutting-edge deep tech and scientific research, along with AI transformation in the enterprise,” he said.

“Establishing a local presence will help us to develop strong partnerships in ANZ and ensure Claude is built with respect for the unique goals, opportunities and challenges of the region.”

Ciauri said the company is exploring opportunities to expand its compute capacity in Australia, and adding local capacity through third-party partners using existing infrastructure.

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