Claude is catching up with ChatGPT: Singapore startups are reassessing their AI priorities
Singapore's startup ecosystem is demonstrating an impressive dynamic in the redistribution of demand for artificial intelligence platforms. Over the past year, the number of paying customers for Anthropic's Claude has surged by 258%, and total spending on this service has increased 17-fold — according to data from the fintech platform Aspire.
A year ago, OpenAI's dominance was overwhelming: the number of paying startups in Singapore using ChatGPT was more than four times that of Anthropic. However, over 12 months, the situation has changed dramatically. Now the gap has narrowed to 1.5 times, and Claude's share of total spending on AI platforms among local startups has reached 37%.
This shift reflects a deeper trend: Singaporean startups are actively diversifying their AI tools. The total number of companies using at least one AI platform has grown by 42%. Meanwhile, the number of startups working with three or more services simultaneously has more than doubled.
My analysis: Claude's growth is not just a temporary spike, but a signal of market maturity. Startups are moving away from relying on a single provider and are seeking specialized solutions for different tasks. Anthropic is winning due to its focus on safety and model controllability, which is critically important for Singapore's fintech and regulation-oriented startups. If this dynamic continues, we could see parity between the two platforms in this region within the next 12-18 months.