# SambaNova vs Novita AI

> SambaNova is a custom-chip host focused on decode speed for big open models. Novita AI is a low-cost cloud with 200+ models across text, image, video and speech. Speed versus breadth and price.

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

## How they compare

Novita AI's case rests on cost and catalog size. Its serverless API covers 200+ open models, LLM prices start at $0.02 per million tokens, batch runs at 50% off, and it adds a GPU cloud, dedicated endpoints with hot-swappable LoRA adapters and an Agent Sandbox on Firecracker microVMs. SambaNova runs a narrower list on its own RDU chip, including MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek, Gemma 4 31B and GPT-OSS 120B, and pitches what it calls premium inference: fast decode on large models, with GPUs doing prefill and RDUs doing decode in its SN50 setup.

For cost-first products and prototypes, Novita's breadth and price floor are hard to beat, and it offers the full 1M context on DeepSeek V4 Pro. Its weak spots are enterprise readiness: looser serverless SLAs, middling uptime ratings, Discord-based support and no public SOC 2 or HIPAA. SambaNova suits interactive coding agents where tokens per second on a large model drive the experience. Treat its SN50 figures, such as about 820 tokens per second on MiniMax M2.7, as vendor benchmarks until you test.

## 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.

### Novita AI

Novita AI is a San Francisco inference cloud founded in late 2023 by Frank Lewis and Junyu Huang, and it competes on price and breadth. Its serverless API covers 200+ open models across LLMs, image, video, speech, voice cloning and embeddings, with LLM prices starting at $0.02 per million tokens. The API speaks both OpenAI and Anthropic formats. It became an official Hugging Face Inference Partner in April 2026 and was the day-zero launch partner for Google's Gemma 4.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose SambaNova for

- Interactive agents that need fast decode on big open models.
- Multi-model agents that benefit from millisecond hot swaps.
- Data centers that want air-cooled racks.

### Choose Novita AI for

- The lowest price on a wide range of shared models.
- Multimodal apps needing image, video and speech on one bill.
- Serving LoRA adapters on dedicated Hugging Face endpoints.

## At a glance

| Attribute | SambaNova | Novita AI |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Open weights | Open weights |
| Flagship models | MiniMax M2.7, GPT-OSS 120B, DeepSeek | DeepSeek V4 Pro, Gemma 4 |
| Speed | ~820 tok/s on MiniMax M2.7 (SN50) | ~36 tok/s on DeepSeek V4 Pro |
| Price | $0.22 in, $0.59 out (GPT-OSS 120B) | From $0.02 per 1M; batch 50% off |
| Customization | - | Hot-swappable LoRA adapters |
| Deployment | SambaCloud, racks for neoclouds | Serverless, GPU cloud, dedicated |
| Long context | Up to 192K (MiniMax M2.7) | Full 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between SambaNova and Novita AI?

SambaNova is a custom-chip host focused on decode speed for big open models. Novita AI is a low-cost cloud with 200+ models across text, image, video and speech. Speed versus breadth and price.

### When should I choose SambaNova over Novita AI?

Interactive agents that need fast decode on big open models; Multi-model agents that benefit from millisecond hot swaps; Data centers that want air-cooled racks.

### When should I choose Novita AI over SambaNova?

The lowest price on a wide range of shared models; Multimodal apps needing image, video and speech on one bill; Serving LoRA adapters on dedicated Hugging Face endpoints.

### Is SambaNova or Novita AI cheaper?

SambaNova: $0.22 in, $0.59 out (GPT-OSS 120B). Novita AI: From $0.02 per 1M; batch 50% off. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, SambaNova or Novita AI?

SambaNova: Up to 192K (MiniMax M2.7). Novita AI: Full 1M on DeepSeek V4 Pro.

## 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 Novita AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-novita-ai.md).

Full profiles: [SambaNova](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/sambanova.md), [Novita AI](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/novita-ai.md).