Alphabet's Google has agreed to invest up to $2 billion in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company has invested $500 million upfront into the OpenAI rival and agreed to add $1.5 billion more over time, the report said.

Google is already an investor in Anthropic and the fresh investment would underscore a ramp-up in its efforts to better compete with Microsoft, a major backer of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, as Big Tech companies race to infuse AI into their applications.

Amazon.com also said last month that it would invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, to compete with growing cloud rivals on AI.

Anthropic, Google and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the WSJ report.

The rising number of investments also shows ongoing maneuvering by cloud companies to secure ties with the AI startups reshaping their industry.

Anthropic, which was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, has also been firing all cylinders in its battle with OpenAI to secure the resources and deep-pocketed backers needed to become leaders in the sector.

  - Reuters