Intel in Talks to Buy SambaNova

Intel is in preliminary talks to acquire AI chipmaker SambaNova Systems, though sources say discussions may not produce a deal. SambaNova has raised roughly $1.14 billion and was valued at about $5 billion in 2021, but it has recently struggled to complete a fundraising round and is working with bankers to gauge buyer interest, so any transaction would likely come at a lower valuation. The company makes custom AI hardware and software for large-scale inference — including the SN40L RDU chip — and has pivoted toward cloud and managed-inference services (SambaNova Cloud / SambaCloud / SambaManaged). Buying SambaNova would give Intel chips, systems and managed inference cloud assets to sharpen its AI strategy as it seeks greater traction against competitors such as Nvidia while developing new data-center GPUs. Intel Capital, Walden (led by executive chairman Lip‑Bu Tan) and SoftBank are among investors and leadership with ties to the company, which could influence any strategic outcome.