Anthropic is closing in on OpenAI: Claude takes off in Singapore's startup ecosystem
Singapore's startup scene is experiencing a tectonic shift in the artificial intelligence landscape. Anthropic's Claude model is showing explosive growth — over the past 12 months, the number of paying customers for the service in the region has surged by 258%, while total platform spending has increased 17-fold. These figures come from an analysis of transactions on the fintech platform Aspire, which serves a significant portion of local startups.
Just a year ago, OpenAI's position seemed unshakeable: the number of startup clients using ChatGPT in Singapore was more than four times that of Anthropic. Today, however, the gap has narrowed to a minimum — just 1.5 times. Moreover, Claude's share of total spending by Singaporean startups on AI platforms has already reached an impressive 37%. This suggests that founders and CTOs are choosing Claude not because of price, but because of the model's quality and specific features.
The overall trend is clear: interest in AI tools among Singaporean startups has grown by 42% year-over-year. Particularly noteworthy is that the number of companies using three or more different AI platforms has more than doubled. This points to market maturity — startups are no longer tying themselves to a single vendor but are diversifying risks and selecting the best tools for specific tasks.
My professional commentary: Claude's growth in Singapore is not a coincidence but a natural result of Anthropic's strategy, which has focused on safety, interpretability, and long contexts. Singapore, as one of the key hubs for AI-native startups in Asia, is becoming a battleground for the giants. If the current pace continues, we could see parity between Claude and ChatGPT in this region as early as mid-2025, which would send a strong signal to the global market.