Intel invests more in China

Intel is investing in three Chinese companies as part of its $200 million Intel Capital China Technology Fund, the company said Monday. Chipsbrand Microelectronics, a fabless semiconductor design company; Onewave Technologies, a Shanghai-based broadband entertainment technology solutions provider; and VeriSilicon Holdings, an application-specific integrated circuit design foundry, are receiving undisclosed sums from the chipmaking giant.

These are the first investments from the special fund since it was established in June 2005. The fund is part of Intel Capital, the venture-capital program that has invested in about 50 Chinese companies in the mainland and Hong Kong since 1998. Overall, Intel Capital has invested more than $4 billion in more than 1,000 companies in 30 countries. Chips designed, or partly designed, in China will account for 14.8 percent of global semiconductor sales this year, making the country the world's third-biggest for chip design, according to a recent report by technology consultant iSuppli.