SambaNova Systems Evaluates Raising Up to $500 Million After Intel Talks Stall
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 21 2026
0mins
Should l Buy INTC?
Source: seekingalpha
- Funding Plans: SambaNova Systems is evaluating raising between $300 million and $500 million from other tech companies and semiconductor manufacturers due to stalled acquisition talks with Intel, indicating its funding needs and potential growth opportunities in the AI chip market.
- Market Competition: As a startup focused on custom AI chips, SambaNova seeks financial support in a market dominated by Nvidia, highlighting its desire to maintain technological innovation and market share in a highly competitive environment.
- Intel's Investment Decision: Intel is considering whether to make additional investments in SambaNova, reflecting its focus on the AI chip sector and potential strategic collaboration opportunities, despite the failed acquisition discussions.
- Industry Dynamics: SambaNova's funding plans contrast with Intel's previous discussions to acquire the company for approximately $1.6 billion, underscoring the complexity and uncertainty of investment and M&A activities within the semiconductor industry.
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Analyst Views on INTC
Wall Street analysts forecast INTC stock price to fall
29 Analyst Rating
5 Buy
19 Hold
5 Sell
Hold
Current: 43.630
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
Current: 43.630
Low
20.00
Averages
39.30
High
52.00
About INTC
Intel Corporation is a global designer and manufacturer of semiconductor products. The Company operates through three segments: Intel Products, Intel Foundry, and All Other. Its Intel Products segment includes Client Computing Group (CCG), Data Center and AI (DCAI), Network and Edge (NEX). The CCG is bringing together the operating system, system architecture, hardware, and software application integration to enable PC experiences. DCAI delivers workload-optimized solutions to cloud service providers and enterprises, along with silicon devices for communications service providers, network and edge, and HPC customers. NEX helps networks and edge compute systems from fixed-function hardware to general-purpose compute, acceleration, and networking devices running cloud native software on programmable hardware. The Intel Foundry segment comprises technology development, manufacturing and foundry services. All Other segments include Altera, Mobileye, Other.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- ARM Stake Changes: Nvidia's previous attempt to acquire ARM for $40 billion failed due to regulatory issues, but it maintains a 20-year licensing agreement for ARM technology, indicating a long-term reliance on ARM's architecture for developing various CPUs, which is crucial for its strategic positioning.
- Applied Digital Performance: Applied Digital reported a 177% year-over-year revenue growth in its second fiscal quarter of 2026, while narrowing losses from $143 million to $31.4 million; however, its $8.7 billion market cap is considered overvalued, prompting caution among investors.
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See More
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- Positive Market Reaction: Following the announcement, AMD's stock surged over 10%, and if this gain holds through year-end, it would turn AMD's annual performance positive, indicating market optimism regarding this strategic collaboration.
- Competitive Landscape Insight: Despite the strong partnership with Meta, analysts highlight that Nvidia continues to dominate in technology and market share, suggesting that AMD's equity dilution strategy may reflect its weaker competitive position in the industry.
See More
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- New Product Launch: SambaNova unveiled its SN50 inference chip, claiming it is five times faster than competitive chips and can run AI inference at one-third the cost of GPUs, enhancing Intel's competitiveness in the AI inference space.
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See More
