Anthropic to open Sydney office in ANZ AI expansion
Anthropic is opening an office in Sydney as it expands across Australia and New Zealand, adding a fourth Asia-Pacific base alongside Tokyo, Bengaluru and Seoul.
The US-based AI lab expects the Sydney operation to open in the coming weeks and plans to hire a local team. It also signalled plans to deepen engagement with Australian institutions and work with partners on projects in national priority sectors.
Anthropic is best known for Claude, a large language model used for chat and other automated tasks. It positions itself as an AI safety and research organisation and operates as a Public Benefit Corporation.
Regional demand
The expansion responds to demand from businesses in Australia and New Zealand and aims to better serve the local AI ecosystem. Anthropic said it would initially focus on enterprise, startup and research customers.
It pointed to existing relationships with Australian and New Zealand organisations, including Canva, Quantium and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. It also cited startups working in areas such as agricultural technology, physical AI and climate technology.
Australia and New Zealand ranked fourth and eighth globally for Claude.ai usage relative to population, according to Anthropic's latest Economic Index. It said both countries show strong use of Claude for computer and coding tasks, as well as educational instruction and research.
Those patterns have shaped early hiring and partnership efforts. Anthropic said it has already begun building a local team and partnerships aligned with the trends.
Partnership talks
Anthropic's executive team plans to visit Australia at the end of March to meet customers and policymakers, with the trip expected to formalise some partnerships.
The update comes as Australian organisations assess how to deploy generative AI in regulated environments and sectors with sensitive data. Financial services, healthcare and government agencies have become key testing grounds, with data residency and governance requirements shaping procurement decisions.
Anthropic listed areas where it is seeing applications across Australia and New Zealand, including financial services, agricultural technology, clean energy innovation, healthcare delivery, deep technology and scientific research. It also referenced AI transformation work inside enterprises.
"We're excited by the ways organizations 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," said Chris Ciauri, Anthropic's managing director of international.
"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.
Compute options
Anthropic is also exploring options to expand compute capacity in Australia, describing local compute as a recurring request from enterprises and government agencies, particularly those with data residency requirements.
It said it is assessing options to add capacity through third-party partners using existing infrastructure in Australia. Anthropic is also in early discussions about longer-term infrastructure in the region and said it would share more information as plans develop.
Australia has been seeking greater investment in data centres and renewable-backed computing, while policymakers debate how to manage national interests, cybersecurity risk and critical infrastructure issues tied to large-scale AI systems. Local compute has also become a procurement issue, as organisations weigh latency, reliability and compliance needs against cost and vendor options.
Anthropic linked its interest in expanding compute in Australia to its view that democracies should play a leading role in AI development. It also pointed to the Australian government's stated ambition for the country to become a destination for sustainable AI infrastructure.
In the near term, the Sydney office will serve as the hub for local customer engagement. Anthropic said its initial focus will remain on supporting enterprise, startup and research users as partnership discussions and infrastructure talks continue.