Intel stock rose 5.4% following several strategic announcements. Intel participated in a $350 million funding round for AI chip startup SambaNova and established a multiyear technical partnership with the company. Under the collaboration, SambaNova will adopt Intel server chips and graphics cards in its systems. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has been SambaNova's chairman since 2017, recused himself from the partnership negotiations. Additionally, Intel signed a collaborative agreement with SoftBank's SAIMEMORY subsidiary on February 2, 2026 to advance Z-Angle Memory technology for AI data centers, with prototypes targeted for fiscal year 2027 and commercialization planned for fiscal year 2029. These partnerships represent Intel's efforts to strengthen its position in the AI infrastructure market.
Read full analysisIntel stock rose 5.4% following several strategic announcements. Intel participated in a $350 million funding round for AI chip startup SambaNova and established a multiyear technical partnership with the company. Under the collaboration, SambaNova will adopt Intel server chips and graphics cards in its systems. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has been SambaNova's chairman since 2017, recused himself from the partnership negotiations. Additionally, Intel signed a collaborative agreement with SoftBank's SAIMEMORY subsidiary on February 2, 2026 to advance Z-Angle Memory technology for AI data centers, with prototypes targeted for fiscal year 2027 and commercialization planned for fiscal year 2029. These partnerships represent Intel's efforts to strengthen its position in the AI infrastructure market.
Intel designs and manufactures processors for PCs, data centers, and AI applications, and operates one of the world's few advanced chip foundries. Under CEO Lip-Bu Tan — a prolific venture capitalist who also chairs AI chipmaker SambaNova — the company is pursuing a turnaround backed by government support and a $5 billion Nvidia investment, but faces competitive pressure from Nvidia's push into CPUs and AMD's growing server market share. Today's SambaNova partnership and SoftBank memory deal mark Intel's most concrete steps yet toward building an AI ecosystem beyond its traditional CPU franchise.