Intel’s “Father” to Buy His Godson? CEO Chen Lifwu’s Dual Identity Revealed
Intel Eyes SambaNova in Renewed AI Chip Push
Xinzhiyuan Report
[Xinzhiyuan Lead] Intel strikes again! Facing the GPU’s dominance in AI computing, the chip giant aims to revive its AI ambitions. The AI chip battlefield is heating up once more.
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GPU Dominance and Market Pressure
NVIDIA’s long-standing leadership in AI computing via GPUs has spurred urgent exploration of alternative approaches.
With capital expenditure and energy consumption climbing steeply, the market is calling for inference chips that are:
- Fast enough
- Energy-efficient enough
- Stable enough
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Intel’s Potential Acquisition of SambaNova
Intel is reportedly considering acquiring SambaNova — both as a catch-up move and a strategic accelerator merger.
- Since May 2024, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has also served as Executive Chairman of SambaNova, giving him deep insight into its technology and team.
- Negotiations are still early-stage, and other bidders may emerge.
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Intel’s AI Chip Roadmap
Industry Growth Drivers
The boom in Large Language Models (LLMs), AI infrastructure adoption, and hyperscale cloud investment has propelled AI chip market growth.
Crescent Island GPU in 2026
- Intel’s next-gen data center GPU, Crescent Island, will enter sample testing in the second half of 2026.
- Marks Intel re-entering the AI accelerator market after Gaudi series failed to displace NVIDIA/AMD.
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Industry Context
- GPU shortage post-ChatGPT launch (Nov 2022) drove prices up.
- 2024: GPUs comprised 82% of AI chip revenue.
- 2025 forecast: Another surge in GPU growth.
- GPUs still face cost, energy efficiency, and specialization issues — leaving an opening for competitors.
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Intel’s Foundry Strategy
In June 2024, after layoffs, Intel presented its 2025 Foundry Direct Connect roadmap, with AI as the core focus.
Process Node Paths:
- 18A (cutting-edge)
- 14A (cutting-edge)
- Intel 3
- Mature nodes
- All nodes embed AI optimizations.
- 18A node → Panther Lake chips; 18A-P launch expected Q3 2024–early 2025.
- 14A node projected for 2027+.
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Chip Startups Under NVIDIA’s Shadow
SambaNova has been seeking financing, but competitive pressure is intense.
Platforms like AiToEarn官网 illustrate how AI extends beyond data centers — helping creators leverage AI for:
- Content generation
- Cross-platform publishing
- Analytics & model ranking
Key channels: Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, X.
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SambaNova Valuation Decline
- 2021: Valued at $5 B after SoftBank’s $676 M funding round.
- 2024: BlackRock cut valuation by 17% to $2.4 B.
- Highlights difficulty convincing customers to switch from NVIDIA.
Other examples:
- Groq: Revenue forecast cut from $2 B to $500 M (2025 projection).
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Industry Acquisitions
- Oct 2024: Meta acquired chip startup Rivos.
- June 2024: AMD hired the Untether AI team.
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Inside SambaNova
Mission: Efficient, low-power AI computing — from chips to models — intended to challenge NVIDIA’s GPU dominance.
Founded: 2017 by:
- Rodrigo Liang (former Oracle chip design lead)
- Prof. Kunle Olukotun
- Prof. Christopher Ré (MacArthur Genius Award)
Previously, Liang and Olukotun collaborated at Afara Websystems.
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Leadership & Backing
- Aug 2024: CEO Liang claimed SambaNova tech outperforms NVIDIA while using 1/10th the power.
- Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan:
- Executive Chairman since May 2024
- Early investor via Walden International
- Co-led $56 M Series A (2018) with Google
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Strategic Shift to Inference & Cloud
- Focus moved from AI training chips to inference systems.
- Transitioned from hardware sales to AI cloud services.
- April 2024: ~15% workforce cut.
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AI Content Ecosystem Expansion
Solutions like AiToEarn官网 help creators and technologists connect AI innovation to monetization:
- AI creation tools
- Cross-platform publishing
- Analytics and model rankings
Targets global users on Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, and X.
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References:
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If you’d like, I can also create a visual timeline of Intel’s AI chip efforts alongside SambaNova milestones so this becomes a reference piece tracking strategic moves over time. Would you like me to add that?
