SambaNova Raises $1B at $11B Valuation as AI Inference Demand Builds

SambaNova Systems raised $1 billion at an $11 billion valuation in the first close of its Series F round. The round was led by General Atlantic, with more investors expected to join soon, according to comments from CEO and co-founder Rodrigo Liang reported by TechCrunch.

The financing follows the company’s $350 million Series E in February and comes roughly five months after SambaNova unveiled its SN50 chip. For readers tracking AI infrastructure, the headline takeaway is clear: investor appetite remains strong for companies positioned around AI inference.

SambaNova has deepened its relationship with Intel, which has backed the company since its Series C and also participated in the latest round. The companies announced a multi-year partnership focused on AI inference development based on Intel’s Xeon chip.

TechCrunch reported that SambaNova had previously been in acquisition talks with Intel in a deal valuing it at roughly $1.6 billion. Liang was noncommittal on whether the recent funding means SambaNova has chosen to remain independent, saying the company is still approached and that momentum could point toward being public at some point.

Alongside the new funding, SambaNova said JPMorganChase selected it as an inference-infrastructure partner. Its SN40L and SN50 systems are set to power secure, on-premises AI inference at the bank.

That enterprise focus matters because SambaNova is positioning itself around private, secure infrastructure rather than a total dependence on cloud services. Liang described three target customer groups: sovereign clouds, neoclouds, and enterprises building AI systems for their own use.

SambaNova plans to use the proceeds to scale the business and secure its supply chain as it works to meet demand. Its SN50 chip, unveiled in February 2026, is due to begin shipping to customers in the second half of 2026, with SoftBank named as the first deployment partner.

The company also names Saudi Aramco, Intel, JPMorganChase, and Japanese firms among its customers. The next key signals will be whether the Series F second close expands the investor base and whether enterprise deployments validate SambaNova’s focus on high-end AI inference.