AI Chip Maker SambaNova Raises $1 Billion at $11 Billion Valuation in Rapid Series F Close

SambaNova Systems, a prominent AI chip maker, has successfully concluded the first close of its Series F funding round, securing an impressive $1 billion. This latest injection of capital, led by General Atlantic, propels the company's valuation to a staggering $11 billion. This significant financial milestone comes just five months after its previous Series E round in February, which raised $350 million, underscoring rapid investor confidence in the Palo Alto-based startup's trajectory within the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. The rapid succession of mega-rounds raises questions about SambaNova's future. While CEO Rodrigo Liang remains noncommittal regarding potential acquisition talks – noting the company is "always being approached" – he indicated that momentum and growth would likely steer SambaNova towards "being public at some point." This comes after previous reports of Intel, a long-term backer since Series C and a participant in the current round, having acquisition discussions valuing SambaNova at approximately $1.6 billion. The relationship with Intel has deepened significantly, with a multi-year partnership focused on co-developing and bringing to market AI inference solutions based on Intel's Xeon chip, leveraging Intel's scale with SambaNova's specialized technology. A major strategic win accompanying this funding is SambaNova's selection by JPMorgan Chase as an "inference-infrastructure partner." The bank will deploy SambaNova's SN40L and SN50 systems to power secure, on-premises AI inference for its most sensitive models. Liang emphasized the profound significance of this partnership, stating it "sends a message to the banking industry that it's time not to completely depend on cloud services." This move highlights a growing demand among financial institutions for heterogeneous, private, and secure infrastructure to handle critical AI workloads, a trend expected to resonate across various enterprise and government sectors. SambaNova distinguishes itself through "premium inference," designed to efficiently run the largest, multi-trillion-parameter AI models at high speeds, fitting them onto a single rack. Its product lineup includes the SN40L, launched in September 2023 for cloud and on-premises deployment, and the next-generation SN50, unveiled in February 2026, with shipments to customers like SoftBank expected in the second half of 2026. The company targets three primary customer segments: sovereign clouds (government-funded private clouds), neoclouds, and large enterprises building their own AI infrastructure. Beyond JPMorgan, its customer roster includes Saudi Aramco and other Japanese firms. The substantial $1 billion capital infusion will be strategically deployed to scale SambaNova's business operations and fortify its supply chain. Liang highlighted the critical need to secure the supply chain amidst an "incredible wave of demand," ensuring the company can fulfill orders and acquire necessary materials for the next 12 months. This investment round saw participation from a diverse group of new and existing investors, including Seligman Ventures, T. Rowe Price Associates, Capital Group, BlackRock, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), and Vista Equity Partners, reflecting broad confidence in SambaNova's technology and market potential.