Blackstone expects Anthropic may be assigned a junk credit rating following its IPO, as its over $800 billion AI computing power plan faces financing pressure.

According to a report by the UK’s Financial Times citing people familiar with the matter, Blackstone recently told investors in Anthropic’s $63 billion chip financing deal that the AI startup may not immediately secure an investment-grade credit rating after going public, with major rating agencies more likely to assign it a BB-range rating—speculative grade, commonly known as "junk status". Under the rating frameworks of S&P Global and Fitch, a BBB- or higher rating qualifies as investment grade, while BB+ and below fall into the speculative category. If Anthropic ultimately lands a junk-grade rating, its financing costs could climb, and the pool of capital accessible to institutions restricted to investment-grade assets—such as insurers and pension funds—would shrink. The pressure stems largely from Anthropic’s massive planned computing power spending: the company previously disclosed plans to invest over $800 billion in computing infrastructure by 2045. While Anthropic currently holds more than $112 billion in cash and cash equivalents and intends to raise additional funds via an IPO, its long-term computing commitments have left investors worried about its future capital needs and debt capacity. Following the report, U.S. tech stocks extended losses, with the Nasdaq 100 index closing down 3.5%. However, Anthropic has not yet obtained official credit ratings from S&P, Moody’s, or Fitch, so Blackstone’s assessment is not an official rating outcome.