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Intel invested in start-ups that are ‘pushing the boundaries’ in areas such as AI, data analytics, autonomous systems and semiconductor innovation.
On Tuesday (12 May), Intel announced that its investment arm, Intel Capital, has invested $132m in 11 “disruptive” technology start-ups focusing on the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous computing and chip design.
The companies joining its portfolio are Anodot, Astera Labs, Axonne, Hypersonix, KFBio, Lilt, MemVerge, ProPlus Electronics, Retrace, Spectrum Materials and Xsight Labs.
Intel Capital said that it is on track to invest between $300m and $500m in technology companies in 2020, spanning the domains of artificial intelligence, intelligent edge and network transformation.
It said that these technologies will bring broad transformations to industries such as healthcare, automotive and consumer goods. Intel added that a diverse workforce enhances innovation, and that its investment arm has been making deals that reflect this.
The company said that in 2019, Intel Capital made 32pc of its new investments in start-ups led by women, underrepresented minorities, members of the LGBTQ community, entrepreneurs living with disabilities and veterans, which is up from 18pc in 2018.
Intel’s latest investments
Wendell Brooks, Intel senior vice-president and president of Intel Capital, said: “Intel Capital identifies and invests in disruptive start-ups that are working to improve the way we work and live.
“Each of our recent investments is pushing the boundaries in areas such as AI, data analytics, autonomous systems and semiconductor innovation. Intel Capital is excited to work with these companies as we jointly navigate the current world challenges and as we together drive sustainable, long-term growth.”
The 11 start-ups that have received funding are as follows:
- Anodot, which uses machine learning for autonomous business monitoring across telco, finance and digital sectors, with real-time contextual alerts to catch incidents that impact revenue and costs
- Astera Labs, which is a fabless semiconductor business developing purpose-built connectivity solutions for data-centric systems to remove performance bottlenecks in compute-intensive workloads, such as AI and machine learning
- Axonne has developed next-generation high-speed ethernet network connectivity solutions for automobiles, such as autonomous driving sensors and displays with compute clusters
- Hypersonix has developed an AI-powered autonomous analytics platform designed for consumer industries such as retail, restaurants, hospitality and e-commerce to help decision makers access real-time actionable insights from disparate data sources
- Chinese biotech business KFBio builds digital pathology systems, which aim to improve on traditional microscopes with digital capabilities and connectivity
- San Francisco-based Lilt aims to make the world’s information accessible to all with AI-powered language translation software and services, providing localised and cost-effective translation
- MemVerge is a Californian company that provides petabyte-size pools of shared persistent memory and data services so that data-centric applications such as AI, machine learning and high-performance computing are easier to develop and deploy
- ProPlus Electronics, also based in China, is an electric design automation company specialising in advanced device modelling and fast circuit simulation solutions
- Retrace, based in San Francisco, has a predictive analytics platform that uses real-time data to improve dental decision-making, to empower health plans, providers and patients to create a more cost-effective, evidence-based oral healthcare experience
- Spectrum Materials is a Chinese high-purity speciality gas and material supplier for semiconductor fabs
- And Xsight Labs, which is based in Israel, develops technology for accelerating next-generation, cloud-based, data-intensive workloads such as machine learning, data analytics and disaggregated storage
