Can SambaNova Become the Next Breakout AI Chipmaker?

Euwyn Poon, former founder of e-scooter company Spin, has raised $5 million to launch Orbital, a startup planning to build 10,000 space-based data centers. Poon previously scaled Spin to 250,000 scooters before exiting that venture. The funding signals investor interest in orbital infrastructure as a new computing frontier, though the technical and regulatory challenges remain substantial.

Seattle City Council will vote June 9th on a one-year moratorium on new data centers, just two months after companies proposed five large-scale facilities in the city. Amazon employees have joined other supporters in testifying for the moratorium, citing concerns about water consumption, electricity prices, and noise. The vote reflects growing tension between tech infrastructure expansion and local environmental and operational impacts.

TSMC's capacity constraints are prompting major AI chip designers, including Google and Nvidia, to explore Intel as a backup manufacturer for advanced processors. The shift reflects growing demand for AI chip production that outpaces TSMC's current manufacturing capacity. Intel stands to benefit from diversification of supply chains among leading AI companies.

Crusoe Energy, the data center developer building OpenAI's Stargate supercomputer facility in Abilene, Texas, is facing higher-than-expected costs and technical challenges integrating natural gas turbines with the AI infrastructure. Engineers have been working overtime to resolve compatibility issues between the power generation system and one of the most expensive AI supercomputers ever built. The project, part of OpenAI's broader Stargate computing initiative, is encountering obstacles that were not anticipated during initial planning.