Plus: Nvidia funds SoftBank data center developer; xAI sues Minnesota over AI nudification ban
REVENUE
📈 Anthropic revenue surges past $11.5B
Anthropic reported preliminary second-quarter revenue exceeding $11.5 billion according to Bloomberg News. Total booked revenue for the first half of 2026 reached $16.2 billion.
The details:
Anthropic's second-quarter revenue rose from $787 million in the same period in 2025.
Anthropic said its run-rate revenue crossed $47 billion as of May.
Claude Code passed an $8 billion run rate in May.
Why it matters: Booked revenue and run-rate revenue are different reporting measures. Separating them keeps revenue recorded for a completed period distinct from the annualized pace implied by current sales.
Nvidia will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy data center developer. Nvidia becomes sole compute infrastructure supplier at OpenAI’s Ports-Pike data center, and Nvidia provides up to $105 billion in credit for facility construction.
The details:
The Ports-Pike data center is located near Cincinnati, Ohio.
SB Energy’s existing investors include both SoftBank and OpenAI.
SoftBank sold $5.8 billion of Nvidia stock in November.
Why it matters: Distinguishing equity investment from supplier exclusivity clarifies Nvidia's dual role in this arrangement. Nvidia becomes the sole compute infrastructure supplier at the Ports-Pike data center while also investing in SB Energy, whose existing investors include both SoftBank and OpenAI.
First reported by techcrunch.com, 3h ago · techcrunch.com
POLICY
⚖️ xAI sues Minnesota over AI nudification ban
Image source: insurancejournal.com
xAI sued Minnesota in federal court over the state's AI nudification ban. Minnesota’s law bans nudification technology on websites and apps starting in August.
The details:
The lawsuit argues the law covers consented images and broadly defines intimate parts.
Minnesota’s law survived a 2025 court challenge brought by Musk’s company.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office had not been served with the lawsuit yet.
Why it matters: The lawsuit distinguishes between consented and non-consented image use, a category the evidence says the law does not separate. xAI also argues the law lacks a safe harbor provision for good-faith prevention efforts.
