New York, Feb 25, 2026, 11:15 EST — Regular session
- Intel shares dipped roughly 0.9% by mid-morning, trimming some of Tuesday’s gains.
- Investors are zeroing in on a multi-year AI inference partnership with startup SambaNova, which just secured $350 million in fresh funding.
- Nvidia’s numbers land later Wednesday, and traders are watching closely for clues on AI hardware appetite.
Intel (INTC) slipped around 0.9% to $45.70 on Wednesday, giving back some of the previous session’s 5.7% rally.
Intel’s push is significant as it works to claw back a spot in AI infrastructure—a space where investors favor decisive leaders and penalize those falling behind. “Inference” refers to the process of running AI models live, and capital keeps flowing to solutions marketed as less costly or easier to access than traditional GPU-heavy systems.
The tape’s been restless this week, with traders bracing for Nvidia’s earnings coming after the U.S. close on Wednesday. Chip stocks, still the linchpin, often swing on Nvidia’s guidance—its remarks can rattle or rally the whole sector.
Intel shares jumped on Tuesday, mirroring a fresh push into AI stocks after AMD announced a multi-year agreement with Meta Platforms—news that boosted optimism about data-center investment.
Intel’s latest spotlight comes from its new alliance with SambaNova Systems, which just rolled out the SN50 AI chip and announced a Series E haul topping $350 million—Intel Capital joined that round. The two firms laid out a multi-year plan to team up on AI inference, leaning on Intel’s Xeon server processors.
The arrangement brings up a tricky governance wrinkle—Intel chief Lip-Bu Tan is also executive chairman at SambaNova. The fresh capital comes on the heels of stalled acquisition talks between Intel and SambaNova, Reuters said.
Intel insists the partnership “does not alter” its data-center GPU strategy. The company is still putting money into its product and software lineup, and sees this as expanding its market options. Newsroom
Even so, the risks are clear enough. SambaNova remains a lightweight compared to Nvidia, and a “partnership” doesn’t automatically translate to sales—particularly in a sector that leans hard toward established, widely available solutions. Should corporate budgets tighten, or if the product underdelivers once deployed, the trade could unravel quickly.
Intel is feeling heat from all sides. Nvidia leads in AI accelerators, while AMD digs deeper into data centers. If there’s any whiff of softer demand across the sector, the entire group gets knocked—even if the headline comes straight from Intel.
Nvidia’s earnings hit after the close on Feb. 25. Dealers are watching the print and guidance for any hint about demand for AI infrastructure. Intel, meanwhile, heads to Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 4.
