Anthropic Expands in Europe, Creates 100 New Roles in AI Localization Push

US AI startup Anthropic has commenced the process of hiring for European locations, Tech.eu reported. The company is looking to fill over 100 new roles across Dublin and London. As Anthropic expands in Europe, it will seek to hire sales, research, engineering, and business operations staff to work in offices across Europe. Ireland and the UK will receive the bulk of new employees.

Focus on EMEA

Founded by former OpenAI staff, the California-based AI startup has developed Claude AI bot. Anthropic will be targeting EU businesses to integrate its Claude AI model. Some of its UK customers include PR group WPP. Anthropic says that it has considered the EMEA region critical to its vision since it started operating.

“EMEA has been central to our vision from the beginning. Since launching Claude in Europe last year, we’ve seen rapid organic growth amongst businesses and consumers alike, confirming the region’s strategic importance to Anthropic’s future. We’ve long planned to deepen our investment here, and finding the right leadership in Guillaume was the critical piece that allowed us to move forward with the thoughtful expansion we envision,” Anthropic co-founder and president Daniela Amodei said.

Both Amazon and Google have invested in Anthropic. Earlier this year, the AI startup signed a deal with the UK government to support AI integration into the public sector. In this deal, the US-based AI firm will provide insights on how AI can support scientific breakthroughs and public services in the UK.

Rising AI Demand

Anthropic AI startup expansion in Europe comes soon after the US AI firm opened a research facility in Zurich. The company also hired Guillaume Princen as its Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“Our expansion across Europe and the UK comes at a critical moment when businesses need advanced AI capabilities that also prioritize security and privacy. European organisations are increasingly choosing Claude for its intelligence, speed, and industry-leading coding abilities, while consumers—particularly the tastemakers—are drawn to its conversation and thoughtful design,” said Princen.

Princen previously worked at Stripe where he ran operations in Europe. He then served as the Chief Executive Office at Mooncard, a French fintech startup.
Currently, Anthropic’s valuation stands at $61.5 billion. The AI firm currently employs about 75 people in its Dublin, Zurich, and London. It also has several employees working remotely. Princen added that Anthropic’s expansion presents an opportunity to support EU businesses navigate the transformative AI technology, discover new possibilities, and executive it responsibly.

Localizing AI

Anthropic’s hiring in Europe points to its ambition for global expansion. Analysts say his move mirrors the growing trend of well-funded AI firms.

“Every AI startup that has raised $1 billion is competing for global domination. Anthropic’s recent $3.5 billion round is no exception, as it seeks to be the leading model company for the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. And to enable this growth, it makes sense that these European hires mainly focus on sales, marketing, and engineering,” Amalgam Insights Chief Analyst and CEO Hyoun Park said.

Anthropic’s push to expand to Europe also reflects the rising importance of localized AI development driven by regional incentives and regulations designed to shape the building and design of the technology.

“Hiring locally in Europe could be to ensure that its offerings down the line are tuned to European requirements that may not fully align with that of the US – particularly related to AI governance. There could also be potential business incentives aligned to local operations as more and more countries announce funds for developing a local AI ecosystem,” Everest Group Practice Director Abhishek Sengupta said.

The Competition Factor

Additionally, Anthropic’s EU expansion signals direct competition with AI firms that are positioning themselves as compliant AI providers in the region. The US AI firm will be confronting Cohere, a Canadian startup that has been marketing itself as a compliant, EU-based company. Analysts view this competition as healthy.

“But this market competition may be a gift in disguise, as the EU has been famously aggressive in attacking monopoly. Having Anthropic more deeply focused on the EU may give more freedom for Cohere, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and other AI firms to be able to build business in what is perceived as a competitive market,” Park added.