Compute Arms Race Heats Up

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

Anthropic locks in $517B of compute deals, trailing OpenAI's $750B plan
OpenAI says its AI research agents now do 3.1 workdays per human workday
Australia pushes ahead with non-compete ban despite tech sector pushback
NSW orders IPART review of water pricing for data centres

AI · Worldwide

Anthropic signs $517B in compute contracts

Anthropic has reportedly signed compute deals worth up to $517 billion in eleven months, still trailing OpenAI's $750B plan through 2030. The spending spree follows CEO Dario Amodei's earlier warnings about reckless investment, while Sam Altman flags "unsustainable silliness" in the neo-cloud buildout.

OpenAI's AI agents hit 3.1 workdays per human workday

OpenAI says it has reached its "automated research intern" milestone, with AI agents in its own research labs handling 3.1 workdays of output for every human workday. Chief scientist Jakub Pachocki simultaneously warns no lab has alignment and monitoring good enough to keep scaling at full speed.

AI-designed drug appears to reverse biological aging markers

A Nature Biotechnology study reports that rentosertib, designed with AI by Insilico Medicine, made treated patients appear up to six years biologically younger across six independent aging clocks. The trial covered only 42 patients and hasn't been tested in healthy people.

Australian Tech & Policy

Non-compete ban proceeds despite tech sector opposition

The Albanese government has released draft legislation banning non-compete clauses for workers earning under $190,100, brushing off calls from industry groups for a rethink. The move is expected to lower barriers for startup formation and talent mobility across the tech sector.

NSW orders IPART review of data centre water rules

The Minns government has tasked IPART with reviewing water regulations and pricing for data centres as it moves to prevent the infrastructure boom from driving up water bills for other users. The review will inform enforcement of the state's Data Centre Expectations framework.

Private member's bill targets automated government decisions

A decade after Robodebt, a new private member's bill would ban the riskiest forms of automated decision-making in government and require mandatory risk assessments and public disclosure for the rest. The push comes as the Albanese government expands automation without overarching transparency rules.