NEW YORK, Feb 25, 2026, 17:20 EST — Trading in the after-hours session
Intel Corp climbed 1.65% during Wednesday’s session, ending the day at $46.88. After the bell, shares slipped roughly 0.2% to $46.77. That move tacked on to a two-day rally totaling about 7.5%.
Intel stays right in the thick of the AI infrastructure buzz with this move. The company announced a multi-year strategic partnership with AI chip startup SambaNova, targeting Xeon-based AI inference—essentially handling model workloads post-training. Intel is pitching the effort as a rack-level solution, set to fill the gap as its own GPU-based offerings ramp up.
Investors are leaning on Nvidia’s results to gauge data-center demand. The company on Wednesday projected first-quarter revenue ahead of Wall Street’s targets, pushing shares up over 3% after hours. CEO Jensen Huang put it bluntly: “Our customers are racing to invest in AI compute.” Reuters
SambaNova has secured $350 million in new funding, the company said Tuesday, with Vista Equity Partners and Cambium Capital leading the round and Intel Capital joining in. SoftBank Corp is set to become the first to roll out SambaNova’s SN50 chip in its Japanese AI data centers. Earlier, Reuters reported that Intel’s discussions to acquire SambaNova hit a snag, with talks cooling off around a $1.6 billion offer.
Kevork Kechichian, head of Intel’s Data Center Group, said in SambaNova’s statement, “Customers are asking for more choice and more efficient ways to scale AI,” framing the deal as a move toward GPU alternatives. SambaNova expects to begin shipping the SN50 to customers later this year. SambaNova
Intel shares bounced higher Wednesday, though the move happened on lighter-than-usual volume, staying under the company’s 50-day average. Even with the gain, the stock is still trading about 14% below its 52-week peak, according to market data. Intel managed to top both Nvidia and Qualcomm for the session, but Broadcom outpaced all three.
Still, any real upside hinges on how well Intel actually delivers—not just the storylines. Back in January, the company flagged its trouble keeping up with demand for server chips powering AI data centers. That warning came with a revenue and profit forecast that landed under Wall Street estimates. “Disappointed” was the word CEO Lip-Bu Tan used with analysts, saying Intel hadn’t managed to meet all the demand. Reuters
Looking ahead, the next key event on the calendar: Intel CFO David Zinsner is set to appear March 4 at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. Investors will be listening for fresh details on the data-center strategy and supply picture.
