Intel plans $15M more into SambaNova as conflict of interest questions mount around CEO Tan

Intel plans to invest an additional $15M in SambaNova, a chip startup chaired by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, which would bring Intel's ownership stake to 9% following a separate $35M investment made in February, according to a Reuters review of corporate records. A broader securities filing from late March revealed Intel has made investments in four Tan-affiliated companies since he became CEO, including OPAQUE Systems, EPIC Microsystems, and 3D Glass Solutions, with Tan-backed venture funds holding significant stakes in each. Two corporate governance experts previously told Reuters the transactions raise conflict of interest concerns, though Intel said it maintains rigorous governance policies and noted it was already a shareholder in three of the four companies before Tan took the job.