(JW Insights) Aug 3 -- US chip giant Intel established  a new innovation hub in Shenzhen  to help Chinese start-up use better its products and services, reported South China Morning Post on July 31.

The Santa Clara-based chip giant and the Nanshan district government in Shenzhen, a technology hub in southern China, launched the Intel Greater Bay Area Innovation Centre on July 29, according to a post in the center's official WeChat account. The center will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), chip applications, and edge computing, among other technologies, the statement said.

The district government aims to use the partnership to grow into a global "innovation highland" through a combination of industrial policy, Intel's product and technology ecosystem, and innovation from local partners, according to the statement.

"We will further leverage Intel's technology and ecosystem, facilitate the integration and development of emerging sectors in the Greater Bay Area and across the country," Intel China chairwoman Wang Rui said at the center's unveiling event.

For the Shenzhen center, Intel will partner with six local tech firms, including gadget maker Ugreen, fabless integrated circuit firms Senary Technology Group and Chipsea Technologies, which all signed an agreement with the chip giant during the launch event. The companies will set up multiple joint labs to research areas, including low-carbon and energy-saving IT solutions, PC and server chips, and smart transport. Intel also pledged technical and resource support for companies located in Nanshan, helping with market roll-outs and industry access.

The new innovation center comes just two weeks after Intel launched a processor designed to train AI systems that meets US export requirements so that it can be sold to Chinese clients. Many in the country are in dire need of advanced AI chips since the US limits on the sale of semiconductors to China cut off access to Nvidia's popular A100 and H100 graphic processing units.

During the introduction of the Gaudi2 AI processor in Beijing in mid-July, Intel executive vice-president Sandra Rivera said the chip was designed to lower the barrier to entry and enhance mainland clients' ability "to deploy AI through cloud and smart-edge technologies, helping build up China's AI future," said the South China Morning Post report.

(Li PP)