Intel pumps $100m into device chips

Intel Corp yesterday launched a $100 million China fund and will set up an innovation center in Shenzhen, Chief Executive Brian Krzanich said yesterday.

The Intel Capital China Smart Device Innovation Fund will quicken the development of chips used in smart devices including tablets, smartphones, PCs, two-in-one devices (computer and tablet), wearable device and the Internet of Things in China.

Krzanich announced the fund at the annual Intel Developer Forum held in Shenzhen.

The US chip giant will also establish an Intel Smart Device Innovation Center in Shenzhen, where many Chinese small and medium-sized hardware firms are located, the world's biggest computer chip maker said.

The center will expand Intel's "work beyond tablets and provide local manufacturers and software developers with access to master reference designs for turnkey solutions, development tools, supply chain sourcing, quality management and customer support — acting as a bridge between product conception and commercial deployment," Intel said.