US Antitrust Authorities Complete Review of Intel’s SambaNova Investment

The completed review relates to Intel’s investment in SambaNova, a company chaired by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. According to Reuters, the conclusion of the review means U.S. authorities under the Hart-Scott-Rodino process chose not to take enforcement action at this stage. Per Reuters, the early termination does not represent an endorsement of Intel’s broader strategy, but instead indicates that the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department have completed their examination of the transaction.

Intel’s investment comes at a pivotal moment for the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker as it works to extend recent momentum in its stock and strengthen its position in the artificial intelligence semiconductor market. With U.S. markets closed on Saturday, Intel shares last ended Friday’s session at $99.62, up 5.44%. The stock briefly touched $100.45 during trading as investors continued to position for stronger demand tied to AI server chips.

According to Reuters, Intel increased its stake in SambaNova to 8.2% in February from 6.8% a year earlier after investing $35 million in the startup. Per Reuters, that investment was made alongside other financing tied to the company.

Reuters previously reported on April 1 that Intel is planning an additional $15 million investment in SambaNova as it expands its exposure to AI infrastructure and inference computing, the stage where trained AI models process inputs and generate responses.

Intel has been building its AI strategy across processor design, contract chip manufacturing, and partnerships with external AI companies as competition intensifies across the semiconductor sector.