According to reports in foreign media, Intel announced that its venture capital institution Intel Capital had invested in two Chinese semiconductor start-ups.

One of the two companies is Jinan-based ProPlus, a EDA software provider that offers advanced device modeling and fast circuit simulation solutions. The leaders in that field, Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, and Synopsys are all from the United States. ProPlus chairman and CEO Liu Zhihong once worked as vice president of Cadence Technologies and its director Hu Chenming once worked as CTO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd.

The other company is Fujian-based Spectrum Materials. Its products include special electronic gases and materials that are critical for chip manufacturing. This sector is typically dominated by companies in the United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Intel Capital has been investing in small chip companies around the world, including Chinese start-ups. In 2019 and 2018, it announced investments in two Chinese chip start-ups.