(Reuters) -AI startup Anthropic is in advanced talks to raise $2 billion in a deal valuing the OpenAI rival at $60 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners is leading the funding round, the report said. Anthropic was valued at around $18 billion in a fundraise led by Menlo Ventures in 2024.

Anthropic did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Amazon.com ( AMZN ) late last year doubled its investment in the startup to $8 billion, as the e-commerce giant went up against Big Tech rivals in a race to capitalize on generative artificial intelligence technology.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)