Intel announced Wednesday that its venture capital arm Intel Capital has invested in two Chinese semiconductor startups.
One of the two Chinese companies is ProPlus, a design automation (EDA) software provider that provides advanced device modeling and rapid circuit simulation solutions.
（Photo: Unsplash）
ProPlus Chairman and CEO Zhihong Liu was previously Vice President at Cadence Technologies, while its director Chenming Hu was Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at TSMC.
Another is Spectrum Materials of Fujian, whose products include specialty electronic gases and materials that are essential for chip manufacturing. In this field, manufacturers in the United States, Korea and Japan have a monopoly.
Intel Capital has been investing in small chip companies around the world, including such companies in China. In 2019 and 2018, it had announced investments in two Chinese chip startups.
A few days ago, Intel CEO Bob Swan sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense expressing his readiness to establish a chip plant in the U.S. with the goal of securing a technological lead in the United States.
