OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed the company’s aspiration to structure artificial intelligence (AI) billing similarly to electricity. In a related development, Anthropic has reportedly altered its pricing strategy for enterprise clients. The company is now instituting charges based on per-seat usage that include consumption commitments. In this revamp, they have eliminated previous API discounts that were afforded to enterprise customers.

Despite the notable changes, the new pricing plans are purportedly lower than the prior fixed subscription tiers. Essentially, while plan costs have decreased, users will be required to pay according to their usage. Reports indicate that some enterprise users will now incur a seat fee of $20 per month for various roles, a significant reduction from the previous fees ranging between $40 and $200 per month.

However, this new structure necessitates that users pre-pay for an estimated monthly token usage, regardless of whether their actual usage falls short. The withdrawal of API discounts, generally between 10 to 15 per cent, is likely to increase the overall financial burden on enterprise users.

Pricing Changes Impact Overall Costs

The latest pricing adjustments position Claude’s fees on par with major competitors at an individual level. However, changes such as the absence of API discounts and the requirement for estimated token payments potentially inflate the total cost of ownership for enterprise deployments. This could complicate budgeting for companies looking to integrate AI solutions.

This pricing overhaul aligns with a broader trend where AI companies are investing substantial resources in technology development without generating commensurate revenue. Altman recently addressed the issue at the BlackRock US Infrastructure Summit, projecting that AI could evolve into an essential service akin to electricity, where costs are based on actual usage.

Anthropic’s new billing strategy appears to move in this direction, with seat fees covering only access to the platform. Clients will commit to and pre-pay for their anticipated token usage, reflecting a shift towards usage-based billing in the AI sphere.

Revenue Growth and Future Expansion Plans

Amidst these changes, Anthropic has reported a significant increase in its run-rate revenue (RRR), which has now exceeded $30 billion, indicating a burgeoning demand for its services. This figure is particularly impressive given the company’s reported RRR of $9 billion at the close of 2025.

In light of this growth, Anthropic is making efforts to bolster its infrastructure to meet rising demand. The company has recently entered agreements with Google and Broadcom to secure multiple gigawatts of next-generation tensor processing unit capacity. These enhancements are expected to begin coming online in 2027, further supporting the scale of operations.

Despite these positive developments, challenges remain. There have been reports of users encountering difficulties with Claude due to unexpectedly rapid token consumption. Following an investigation that took place on April 3, the company identified that a limited range of usage patterns was responsible for the elevated “burn” of tokens. Anthropic’s Lydia Hallie mentioned that the organisation is committed to rolling out more efficiency improvements to address these concerns.

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