Intel Capital is investing $132 million to startups working on Artificial intelligence. It centers on autonomous computing, deep learning, and related fields.
Intel Capital is the venture capitalist division of the chipmaker giant. The division confirms that it is investing in 11 startups working on artificial intelligence and related field.
The division is planning to invest at least $300 million in technology investments just this year alone. It claims that it can extend this budget to as much as $500 million. The division is focusing its investment strategy mainly on artificial intelligence, networking, analytics, and deep learning.
Investment focus
It appears that Intel Capital is focusing its investments towards startups that are working on artificial intelligence. During this round of investments, Intel Capital adds the following startups to its portfolio: Anodot, Xsight Labs, Axonne, Spectrum Materials, Hypersonix, Retrace, KFBIO, ProPlus Electronics, MemVerge, Lilt.
Of these 11 new startups under its umbrella, there is a number that stands out. For one, Anodot is focusing mainly on the development of autonomous business monitoring with the use of machine learning. The firm aims to develop a strategy that allows businesses to measure the impact of certain factors to their businesses.
Intel Capital is investing $132 million in 11 disruptive technology startups: https://t.co/VLMD5miYAt pic.twitter.com/mGRfUTHbpW
— Intel News (@intelnews) May 12, 2020
Intel Capital is also investing in biotechnology. KFBIO is capable of processing medical images using big data, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing.
Lastly, Hypersonix is a startup that works on the development of AI-driven autonomous analytics tools. The firm aims to provide AI-driven analytics tools to those in the retail, e-commerce, restaurant, and hospitality industry.
Chinese investments
In a bid to boost its chip-making business, Intel Capital confirms that it is investing in two Chinese startups. These Chinese firms are working in the semiconductor industry.
This latest investment from Intel Capital causes quite a stir in the tech community. As tension between China and the United States continues to surge, tech companies are wary of their investment moves.
These Chinese startups are ProPlus and Spectrum Materials. ProPlus is a Chinese startup that is working on EDA software. Chipmakers usually use this software in designing their products before proceeding to the manufacturing process.
On the other hand, Spectrum Materials is a startup that makes gases which are critical in the manufacturing of semiconductor fabs. These fabs are used to produce actual physical microprocessors.
Despite a hail of criticism, Intel Capital believes that its latest round is a prudent investment. Though the eye of the community is upon it, Intel believes it has made the right decision.
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