u/the_average_no_one

Anthropic signed a $1.8B, 7-year contract with Akamai to run AI inference, and Akamai claims up to 86% lower inference cost vs hyperscalers. The company’s pipeline already exceeds current GPU inventory, suggesting more demand. As AI inference costs explode (DRAM +246% YoY, HBM shortages), Akamai’s edge infrastructure becomes a cheaper alternative. The Anthropic deal de-risks future enterprise sales, creating a self-reinforcing cycle. AKAM is a “stealth AI infra” play trading at a fraction of Cloudflare’s multiple, with accelerating revenue from Cloud Infrastructure (+40% YoY) and a massive new anchor customer. The stock has asymmetric upside. (a) Anthropic could cancel/change partnership (per comment skepticism); (b) CDN legacy decline accelerates; (c) AI inference demand may not materialize as expected; (d) stock already +93% YTD, lowering near-term upside.