# SambaNova vs Inference.net

> SambaNova optimizes for fast decode on dedicated silicon. Inference.net runs cheap batch on spare GPU capacity and helps teams distill traces into custom models. Real-time speed versus bulk cost.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/sambanova-vs-inference-net · By The Subconscious Team · Updated September 30, 2026

## How they compare

Inference.net was born as a buyer of idle GPU time. Its scheduler stitches together small unused chunks of capacity and passes the discount on, and its OpenAI-compatible Batch API takes up to 1M requests per file with completion windows of 24 hours to 7 days. SambaNova is close to the opposite. It designs its own RDU chip for fast decode on large open models such as MiniMax M2.7 and GPT-OSS 120B, and it sells a premium speed tier rather than a discount.

The workloads split cleanly. Large offline jobs like extraction, classification and synthetic data fit Inference.net, which is candid that fragmented capacity suits batch better than strict real-time SLAs. It also offers a path from captured gateway traffic to a fine-tuned model on a dedicated GPU. SambaNova fits interactive agents and copilots where each turn has to stream fast. Both lean on their own numbers: Inference.net has few independent benchmarks, and many SambaNova headline figures are vendor benchmarks.

## What each one does

### SambaNova

SambaNova designs its own inference chip, the Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit, and sells fast tokens on large open models through SambaCloud. The RDU maps the model graph onto the chip to cut trips to off-chip memory. A three-tier memory design of SRAM, HBM and bulk DRAM lets one system host very large models and hot swap between several of them in milliseconds. SambaCloud serves models like MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek, Gemma 4 31B and GPT-OSS 120B, with speeds reported by Artificial Analysis.

### Inference.net

Inference.net started as a buyer of last resort for idle GPU time. Its scheduler aggregates small unused chunks of capacity across data centers and runs models on them, and it passes the steep discounts it gets from those data centers on to customers. That origin still shows in its OpenAI-compatible Batch API, which takes up to 1M requests per file with completion windows from 24 hours to 7 days and far higher headroom than synchronous limits.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose SambaNova for

- Real-time agents where decode speed matters.
- Large open models served interactively.
- Agents that hot swap between models.

### Choose Inference.net for

- Million-request batch jobs with multi-day windows.
- Distilling production traces into a smaller custom model.
- Routing open, closed and custom models under one key.

## At a glance

| Attribute | SambaNova | Inference.net |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open, closed and custom |
| Flagship models | MiniMax M2.7, GPT-OSS 120B, DeepSeek | Customer fine-tunes |
| Speed | ~820 tok/s on MiniMax M2.7 (SN50) | Batch windows of 24h to 7 days |
| Price | $0.22 in, $0.59 out (GPT-OSS 120B) | Discounted spare GPU capacity |
| Customization | - | Distill traces into custom models |
| Deployment | SambaCloud, racks for neoclouds | Batch API, gateway, dedicated GPUs |
| Long context | Up to 192K (MiniMax M2.7) | Varies by model |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between SambaNova and Inference.net?

SambaNova optimizes for fast decode on dedicated silicon. Inference.net runs cheap batch on spare GPU capacity and helps teams distill traces into custom models. Real-time speed versus bulk cost.

### When should I choose SambaNova over Inference.net?

Real-time agents where decode speed matters; Large open models served interactively; Agents that hot swap between models.

### When should I choose Inference.net over SambaNova?

Million-request batch jobs with multi-day windows; Distilling production traces into a smaller custom model; Routing open, closed and custom models under one key.

### Is SambaNova or Inference.net cheaper?

SambaNova: $0.22 in, $0.59 out (GPT-OSS 120B). Inference.net: Discounted spare GPU capacity. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, SambaNova or Inference.net?

SambaNova: Up to 192K (MiniMax M2.7). Inference.net: Varies by model.

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs SambaNova](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-sambanova.md), [Subconscious vs Inference.net](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-inference-net.md).

Full profiles: [SambaNova](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/sambanova.md), [Inference.net](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/inference-net.md).