The AI market in Singapore is overheating: Anthropic's Claude makes a leap and narrows the gap with ChatGPT
The artificial intelligence market in Singapore is showing explosive dynamics, and Anthropic is becoming a key beneficiary of this trend. An analysis of payment data shows that over the past year, demand for the Claude model among local startups has grown tremendously: the number of paying customers increased by 258%, and spending on this service skyrocketed 17-fold.
Just twelve months ago, OpenAI's position seemed unshakable — ChatGPT had four times more paying customers among Singaporean startups than Claude. However, the situation has changed dramatically. Today, the gap has narrowed to a symbolic 1.5 times, and Claude's share of total startup spending on AI platforms has reached an impressive 37%.
The overall growth of the ecosystem is also impressive: the number of Singaporean startups actively using AI tools has increased by 42%. At the same time, there is a trend toward multi-platform usage — the number of companies working with three or more AI services simultaneously has more than doubled. This indicates market maturity: startups are moving away from relying on a single provider and are diversifying risks.
My analysis: Claude's surge is not just a statistical anomaly. Anthropic is skillfully positioning itself as an alternative with an emphasis on safety and algorithm transparency, which is especially valuable for Singapore's fintech sector. However, the current 17-fold growth rate in spending is not sustainable — within 6-12 months, we will see a correction as early adopters optimize their budgets. Nevertheless, the fact remains: a duopoly in the AI market is becoming a reality, and Claude is no longer a laggard but a full-fledged competitor.