The AI agent market in Singapore: Anthropic's Claude narrows the gap with ChatGPT
Singapore's startup ecosystem is experiencing a tectonic shift in AI tool preferences. Demand for Anthropic's Claude is exploding: over the past 12 months, the number of paying customers for the service has increased by 258%, and spending on the platform has grown 17-fold. These figures come from an analysis by fintech platform Aspire, which I have carefully reviewed.
A year ago, the situation was radically different: OpenAI had more than four times as many paying startup clients in Singapore as Anthropic. Today, however, the gap has narrowed to 1.5 times, and Claude's share of total spending on AI platforms has reached an impressive 37%. This indicates that startups are increasingly diversifying their AI solution portfolios, moving away from ChatGPT's monopoly.
The overall trend is also striking: the number of Singaporean startups using AI tools has grown by 42%. Particularly telling is that the number of companies working with three or more platforms simultaneously has more than doubled. This reflects market maturity — entrepreneurs understand that relying on a single provider is risky and are actively testing alternatives.
My analysis: Claude's growth in Singapore is not just a local phenomenon but an indicator of a global trend. Anthropic has managed to create a product that fills niches where ChatGPT shows weaknesses: more accurate context handling, enhanced security, and better interpretation of complex queries. For startups, where every percentage point of efficiency is critical, this is a significant advantage. If Anthropic maintains its current pace, by the end of 2025 we could see parity between Claude and ChatGPT in Asian markets.