6 best Sambanova Cloud alternatives for AI inference in 2025

So, you’re looking into high-performance AI and platforms like SambaNova Cloud have caught your eye. It’s an impressive bit of tech, promising incredibly fast performance for huge AI models. But here’s the thing: running a powerful engine is one thing, but building a useful, working application on top of it is a whole different ball game. The hunt for SambaNova Cloud alternatives isn't just about finding another fast chip, it's about finding the right tool for the job you actually need to do.

Maybe you need that raw, unfiltered speed for a custom project. Or maybe you need a more developer-friendly platform, or even a fully-managed solution that starts solving a business problem the moment you turn it on. The good news is, there’s an option for you. In this guide, I’ll walk you through my top six picks, starting with ready-to-use business tools and moving down to the raw infrastructure, so you can find your perfect fit.

What is SambaNova Cloud?

Before we get into the alternatives, let's quickly get on the same page about SambaNova. They're a company that designs its own specialized AI hardware, called Reconfigurable Dataflow Units (RDUs), and you can access it through their platform, SambaCloud. The big promise is top-tier speed for AI inference, which is just the process of using a trained AI model to get an answer or result.

They build the whole stack, from the silicon chip itself to the server rack it lives in. This creates a system designed to run massive AI models (like DeepSeek-R1 and Llama 3) more efficiently than standard GPUs. Their main audience is big companies and developers who need to run enormous AI workloads and have the engineering teams to build applications on top of powerful, but very low-level, hardware.

Think of SambaNova as selling you a Formula 1 engine. It’s unbelievably powerful, but you still need to build the car, hire the pit crew, and find a driver if you want to win a race. Many businesses are realizing they don't actually want to build the car from scratch.

How I picked the best SambaNova Cloud alternatives

To make this list actually useful, I couldn't just compare processing speeds. I needed to look at what it really takes to go from a cool idea to a live AI application that helps your business. Here’s what I focused on:

• Getting Started: How fast can you actually get up and running? Does it take a team of AI experts and months of coding, or can you get something working in a few minutes?

• What It's For: Is it a raw engine for developers to build on, or is it a complete solution designed to solve a specific problem, like automating customer support?

• Performance: How fast is it for its main job? And what does it take to handle more traffic or bigger models as you grow?

• Pricing: Is the cost straightforward and predictable, or is it a complex, usage-based model that makes it tough to know what your bill will be at the end of the month?

SambaNova Cloud alternatives comparison table

Here’s a quick side-by-side look at how the top picks compare.

Platform	Best For	Ease of Use	Core Use Case	Pricing Model
eesel AI	Businesses that need AI to solve CX & ITSM problems now	Self-serve, very simple	Full-stack support automation	Flat-rate subscription
GroqCloud	Developers who need the absolute lowest latency	Moderate (API-based)	Real-time inference	Pay-per-token
Fireworks AI	Developers who want fast access to open-source models	Moderate (API-based)	General-purpose inference	Pay-per-token
Together AI	Researchers and developers fine-tuning models	Moderate to complex	Training & inference platform	Pay-per-token/instance
Google Vertex AI	Enterprises building custom AI on Google Cloud	Complex	End-to-end MLOps	Complicated pay-per-use
Cerebras	National labs & mega-scale AI training	Highly complex	Massive-scale training & inference	Per-system (very high)

The 6 best SambaNova Cloud alternatives of 2025

Alright, let's get into the details. I’ve ordered this list from the most business-ready solution down to the more technical, infrastructure-focused options.

1. eesel AI

If your goal is to use AI to fix a real business problem, like automating support, handling tickets, or running an internal help desk, then building an app on raw infrastructure like SambaNova is the long and expensive way to do it. eesel AI is the shortcut. It’s a complete platform that connects to the tools you already use (like Zendesk, Slack, and Confluence) and starts adding value in minutes, not months.

• Pros:

  • Go live in minutes: The setup is genuinely self-serve, with one-click integrations for your help desk and knowledge bases.

  • Learns from your knowledge: It automatically reads your past tickets, documents, and help articles to understand your business and sound like you.

  • You're in control: A simple editor lets you decide exactly what the AI should automate, when it should escalate to a human, and what actions it can take (like looking up order information).

  • Test without risk: You can run a simulation on your historical tickets to see how well it would have performed and get a clear forecast of your automation rate before you even turn it on.

• Cons:

  • It’s not a general-purpose tool for building any AI you can dream of; it's specifically designed for customer service, ITSM, and internal knowledge workflows.

• Pricing:

  • eesel AI has clear, flat-rate subscription plans, so you won't get hit with surprise fees. All plans come with a 7-day free trial.

Plan	Price (Billed Monthly)	Price (Billed Annually)	Key Features
Team	$299/month	$239/month	Up to 1,000 interactions/mo, 3 bots, train on websites/docs, AI Copilot, Slack integration.
Business	$799/month	$639/month	Up to 3,000 interactions/mo, unlimited bots, train on past tickets, AI Agent, AI Actions, bulk simulation, MS Teams.
Custom	Contact Sales	Contact Sales	Unlimited interactions, advanced AI actions, custom integrations, multi-agent orchestration.

2. GroqCloud

Groq has been making waves for one main reason: it’s fast. Really fast. Using its own custom chips called Language Processing Units (LPUs), GroqCloud offers some of the quickest token-per-second performance out there, which is a big deal for real-time applications where any delay is noticeable. If your number one priority is running an existing AI model as fast as possible, Groq is a serious alternative to SambaNova.

• Pros:

  • Incredible speed: It's often benchmarked as the fastest inference provider on the market, perfect for things like chatbots.

  • Consistent performance: Delivers predictable, low latency without the jitter you can get from some other systems.

  • Simple API: It uses an OpenAI-compatible API, which makes it fairly easy for developers to switch their apps over to Groq.

• Cons:

  • It can have trouble with the absolute largest models because of memory limitations, meaning you need a lot of chips to scale up.

  • It's just the engine. You still have to build, connect, and maintain the rest of the application yourself.

  • Pricing isn't public, so you can't easily estimate costs without talking to their sales team.

• Pricing:

  • It's a pay-per-use model based on the number of tokens you process. You’ll need to get in touch with their sales team for specific rates.

3. Fireworks AI

Fireworks AI has found its sweet spot as a high-performance, developer-focused platform for running generative AI models. It’s all about giving you fast, reliable access to a solid list of the best open-source models. It's a great SambaNova Cloud alternative for teams that want speed and simplicity without getting locked into one hardware company's ecosystem.

• Pros:

  • Optimized for speed: Consistently one of the fastest providers for popular open-source models.

  • OpenAI-compatible API: Easy to get started and plug into projects you're already working on.

  • Good model selection: Offers a well-chosen list of powerful and popular generative AI models.

• Cons:

  • Like Groq, it's a tool for developers. You get the engine, but building the rest of the car is on you.

  • It's less focused on the gigantic, trillion-parameter models you might see from specialists like SambaNova or Cerebras.

• Pricing:

  • Fireworks AI uses a pay-per-token model for its serverless option, with prices depending on the model. They also offer fine-tuning and let you rent GPUs on demand. You get $1 in free credits to try it out.

Service	Model/GPU	Price
Serverless Inference	Small models ( This video explores SambaNova's high-performance AI inference capabilities, comparing them to competitors like Groq and Nvidia.

Choosing the right SambaNova Cloud alternatives: Build vs. buy

Looking at this list, it becomes clear there are two very different ways to approach using AI in your business.

One path is the "build" path. This is the world of SambaNova, Groq, and Cerebras. You get an incredibly powerful engine and the freedom to build whatever you want. This path makes sense if you have a dedicated team of AI engineers, your problem is so unique that no existing tool can solve it, or if the AI model itself is your product. But be warned, this path is slow and expensive. The cost of the hardware or API is just the beginning. You're also paying for developers' salaries, project management, and all the maintenance that comes with a custom-built system.

The other path is the "buy" path. This is the world of eesel AI. You get a complete solution that’s ready to solve a specific, high-value problem right out of the box. This is a much better fit if you want to see a return on your investment quickly, you want to empower your existing teams instead of hiring a new one, and your goal is to improve business metrics like resolution time or customer satisfaction. By focusing on the application, you skip months of development and go straight to the results.

From raw power to real results with SambaNova Cloud alternatives

The world of AI infrastructure is fascinating, with companies like SambaNova and Groq pushing the limits of what's possible. These SambaNova Cloud alternatives offer amazing power for developers and researchers who are building the next generation of AI.

But for most businesses, the goal isn't just to run a model quickly, it's to get something done. That "build vs. buy" decision is everything. While the infrastructure platforms give you the engine, they leave you to design, build, and maintain the rest of the car.

If you’re looking to solve customer support, ITSM, or internal knowledge challenges today, you don't need to start from scratch. eesel AI provides a complete, intelligent solution that works with the tools you already have and delivers value in minutes. Instead of spending months building, you can start automating.

Ready to see what an application-first AI platform can do? Simulate eesel AI on your own data for free and see your potential automation rate in minutes.