Feb 24 (Reuters) - SambaNova Systems said on Tuesday it has raised $350 million in a new funding round and struck a partnership with Intel as it seeks to capitalise on surging demand for inference chips used in artificial intelligence applications.
Inference chips, which run AI models and power real-time decisions, have attracted intense investor interest following a wave of dealmaking around rivals to Nvidia, as AI companies seek faster and more efficient hardware.
Private equity firm Vista Equity Partners and Cambium Capital led the round, which also included Intel's investment arm, Intel Capital, SambaNova said on Tuesday, confirming a Reuters exclusive reported earlier this month.
The proceeds will fund expansion of SambaNova's new SN50 AI chip, scale its SambaCloud platform and deepen enterprise software integrations. SoftBank Corp will be the first customer to deploy the SN50 chip within its AI data centres in Japan.
SambaNova and Intel also signed a multi-year agreement to deliver cost-effective AI inference solutions for AI-native companies, complementing Intel's existing data centre GPU commitments.
The investment marks a rare foray by Vista beyond its traditional focus on enterprise software.
The funding comes after acquisition talks between SambaNova and Intel stalled. Intel, whose chief executive Lip-Bu Tan also serves as SambaNova's executive chairman, had previously discussed acquiring the startup for roughly $1.6 billion, including debt, Reuters has reported.
(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
