SambaNova Systems, a firm producing AI chips, has secured $1 billion in funding at a valuation of $2040 billion, led by General Atlantic. This is a first close of its Series F round, with additional investors set to join shortly. According to CEO and co-founder Rodrigo Liang, more investors will be joining within the next few weeks, and the second close is likely to be completed soon. This latest funding round occurs approximately five months after the Palo Alto-based startup unveiled its SN50 chip and obtained a $350 million Series E in February. SambaNova had discussions about being acquired by Intel, with a valuation of approximately $1.6 billion, as reported by Bloomberg News in December. However, when asked if closing its Series E and F funding rounds meant the company had decided to remain independent, Liang did not give a clear answer. The individual mentioned that the organization is continuously receiving expressions of interest. “Approached is what we constantly experience.” “The CEO mentioned that there’s an opportunity for the company to go public in this rapidly evolving AI industry, but it’s likely that the company’s momentum and expansion will naturally lead to a future IPO,” is what was said. SambaNova’s relationship with Intel, which has supported the company since its Series C funding and participated in the most recent funding round, has become stronger. Half a year ago, the nine-year-old company declared a long-term collaboration with Intel for the advancement of AI inference utilizing Intel’s Xeon processor. The pair currently collaborate on the creation of products and introduce them to the market jointly.
AI chip maker SambaNova raises $1B at $11B valuation, 5 months after last mega round
- by stefan