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US antitrust authorities have completed their review of Intel's investment in SambaNova, a chip startup chaired by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, according to a regulatory notice issued on Friday. Intel invested $35 million in SambaNova in February, increasing its stake to 8.2% from 6.8%. The company plans to invest an additional $15 million in the startup, Reuters previously reported. The clearance removes regulatory obstacles to Intel's continued backing of the AI chip company.

SambaNova and TEPCO Systems partner to deliver energy-efficient AI infrastructure to Japan's power sector. SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 21, 2026 - SambaNova, a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, announces that TEPCO Systems Corporation ("TEPCO Systems"), the digital transformation arm of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated ("TEPCO Group"), has signed a distributor agreement to bring SambaNova's energy-efficient, high-performance AI infrastructure to enterprises across Japan. Under the agreement, TEPCO Systems will also deploy SambaNova's AI infrastructure as the foundation for the TEPCO Group's next-generation AI system platform, powering mission-critical applications that demand performance, security, and efficiency at scale. TEPCO Systems is adopting SambaNova's AI infrastructure - which delivers outstanding power efficiency and inference performance - to build new AI data center capabilities, while also offering these services to customers beyond the TEPCO Group. This collaboration will help accelerate Japan's AI-driven digital transformation by enabling organizations to run advanced AI workloads with reduced energy consumption and a lower total cost of ownership. SambaNova's systems have already been selected for deployment in projects such as NEDO's (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) "Post-5G Information and Communication System Infrastructure Enhancement R&D Project (Advanced Computing Resources) / Development of Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / R&D on the Utilization of Diverse AI Semiconductors and High-Efficiency Computing Resources (JPNP2501)," further underscoring the platform's suitability for large-scale, compute-intensive environments. TEPCO Systems: building next-generation AI data centers "SambaNova's AI infrastructure enables accurate, high-speed inference using highly confidential internal data in a secure environment, while also offering excellent power efficiency," said Haruki Mino, President at TEPCO Systems Corporation. "For this reason, we are evaluating SambaNova as the platform for our next-generation AI data centers." "Working together with SambaNova, TEPCO Systems will provide energy-efficient, high-performance modular AI systems and services centered on SambaNova's technology," added Mino. "This will help advance the sophistication of the electric power business through AI and accelerate our digital transformation, while also supporting green transformation initiatives and expanding our external AI data center business for customers outside the TEPCO Group." Meeting Japan's demand for secure, efficient AI at scale "As agentic AI moves from proof-of-concept into full-scale deployment, customers are seeking dramatically higher inference performance without compromising power efficiency or security," said Toshinori Kujiraoka, Vice President, Asia Pacific, SambaNova. "Through this distributor agreement, TEPCO Systems can now deliver SambaNova's next-generation AI infrastructure to more enterprises across Japan and support the construction of highly reliable AI systems that meet the stringent requirements of mission-critical environments." "Together, we will build sustainable AI data centers for the TEPCO Group that combine high performance with low power consumption, accelerating DX initiatives while helping organizations reduce their energy footprint," Kujiraoka continued. A new blueprint for large-scale AI in energy "TEPCO Systems is at the forefront of AI transformation in the energy sector, and it is a great honor to deepen our collaboration through this agreement," said Rodrigo Liang, Co-founder and CEO, SambaNova. "By combining TEPCO Systems' expertise in operating large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure with SambaNova's AI platform, we've created the blueprint for how utilities and critical infrastructure operators can deploy AI responsibly and sustainably." About TEPCO Systems Corporation TEPCO Systems Corporation is a core member of the TEPCO Group responsible for driving digital transformation across the utility's operations, from power generation and grid management to customer services. Headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo, TEPCO Systems develops and operates large-scale IT and OT systems that support reliable, safe, and efficient energy delivery in Japan. About SambaNova SambaNova is a leader in next-generation AI infrastructure, providing a full-stack platform that delivers the fastest and most efficient AI inference for enterprises, NeoClouds, AI research labs, service providers, and sovereign AI initiatives worldwide. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Jose, California, SambaNova offers chips, systems, and cloud services that enable customers to deploy state-of-the-art models with superior performance, lower total cost of ownership, and faster time to value. For more information, visit sambanova.ai or contact [email protected]. Contacts Virginia Jamieson, Head of Communications, SambaNova [email protected]