SambaNova and Hume AI Unleash Lightning-Fast, Multilingual Speech-Language Model to Redefine Conversational AI for Global Enterprises

Hume’s breakthrough model with real-time expressive AI capabilities in Japanese and 10 other languages is exclusively powered by SambaCloud, deepening SambaNova’s longstanding partnership with Hume

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SambaNova, a next-gen AI infrastructure leader, has launched Hume AI’s cutting-edge emotionally intelligent speech models — EVI 4 Mini (Empathic Voice Interface) and Octave 2 — exclusively on its high-speed SambaCloud platform. This move delivers enterprise-grade, emotionally responsive voice AI at human-like speeds and cadence, and debuts Hume’s powerful new Japanese language model, bringing advanced expressive AI to global markets with capabilities like instant personality cloning, seamless real-time translation, emotionally intelligent customer service interactions, lifelike robotics, and deeply engaging AI companions.

“With SambaNova, we can deliver real-time, emotionally intelligent AI that actually listens, understands, and responds like a human, and does it at enterprise scale,” said Alan Cowen, CEO and Chief Scientist at Hume AI. “SambaNova’s platform gives us the speed, flexibility, and efficiency we need to bring expressive voice AI into the real world – including complex, real-time translation use cases like English-to-Japanese.”

This partnership meets growing enterprise demand for real-time, human-like voice AI, and reflects SambaNova’s leadership as the backbone infrastructure for expressive, scalable, and secure generative AI deployments.

Rodrigo Liang, CEO and co-founder of SambaNova, stated: “Voice AI is fundamentally transforming communication for enterprises — enhancing how organizations connect with customers, employees, and users across every interaction. Today, Hume’s EVI 4 and Octave 2 models are already exclusively available on SambaCloud, delivering users expressive, emotionally intelligent voice capabilities within a secure, high-performance infrastructure they trust. This announcement deepens our longstanding partnership with Hume, providing enterprise clients access to the fastest, most scalable, and emotionally aware AI experiences in the market.”

Expressive Speech. Instant Responses. Powered by SambaNova.

Hume’s models are purpose-built for understanding both what is said and how it is said, interpreting emotional tone, intonation, and emphasis to generate expressive, contextually appropriate responses. Octave 2 extends these capabilities to 11 languages and represents a particularly monumental advance in voice AI for Japanese, powering multilingual, emotionally aware interactions across global markets.

"Ultra-low latency is critical for speech models to provide an efficient and human-like interactive experience. Without it, voice-based conversational AI risks increasing customer frustration and handle times,” said Hayley Sutherland, Research Manager, Conversational AI at IDC. “This close partnership with Hume.AI speaks to SambaNova’s ability to provide key infrastructure with ultra-low latency for voice AI."

But expressive voice alone isn’t enough – SambaNova’s inference platform ensures those responses happen fast by delivering:

• Ultra-low latency: 100–300ms response time
• End-to-end hosting: Full stack runs on SambaNova infrastructure
• Native LLM integration: Supports Llama and DeepSeek on SambaCloud
• Private deployment: Built for secure enterprise environments
• Cost-effective: Up to 4x more cost-effective than competing solutions

EVI 4 Mini and Octave 2, running on SambaNova’s infrastructure, deliver emotionally expressive, natural-sounding voice AI that eliminates robotic speech and real-time lag. This enables enterprises across sectors to create more engaging and human-like voice experiences in applications ranging from customer service to healthcare, gaming, and enterprise tools.

About Hume AI

Hume’s goal is to enable a future in which AI draws on an understanding of human emotion to better serve human goals. As part of its mission, the company conducts groundbreaking scientific research, published in leading scientific journals, and supports a non-profit, The Hume Initiative, that has released the first concrete ethical guidelines for empathic AI.

About SambaNova

SambaNova enables enterprises to rapidly deploy state-of-the-art generative AI capabilities. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, SambaNova was founded in 2017 by industry veterans from Sun/Oracle and Stanford University. The company is backed by top-tier investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, BlackRock, Intel Capital, GV, Walden International, Temasek, GIC, Redline Capital, Atlantic Bridge Ventures, and Celesta.

For more information, visit sambanova.ai or contact [e-mail].