Alphabet's (GOOG) partnership with AI safety and research firm Anthropic PBC does not meet the criteria for a relevant merger situation under United Kingdom law and does not require further investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority said on Tuesday.
The partnership includes acquisitions of non-voting shares in Anthropic, convertible debt financing, and agreements for compute services and FM distribution via Google's Vertex AI.
The CMA concluded that Google has not acquired material influence over Anthropic, as Google's involvement in the partnership does not include outright control or the ability to significantly influence Anthropic's strategic direction.
Additionally, the CMA said it found that the UK turnover test was not met, as Anthropic's UK turnover does not exceed 70 million pounds sterling ($88.5 million).