Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

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For those sick of dots


don't read this

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030828/tech_china_intel_2.html

My favorite line "It's the next big thing"

UPDATE - Intel, Legend to form joint research centre
Thursday August 28, 3:59 am ET
By Juliana Liu


BEIJING, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Semiconductor giant Intel Corp (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) and Legend Group Ltd (HKSE:0992.HK - News), China's biggest computer maker, said on Thursday they would open a centre to develop home network technology and security applications.
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The move was seen as largely symbolic, cementing a relationship between the world's largest chipmaker and Legend, which controls about a quarter of the Chinese market and whose PCs now carry Intel chips exclusively, despite recent advances by Intel's chief rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NYSE:AMD - News).

The Intel project is part of a broader move by Western firms to set up research-and-development centres in China, which are relatively inexpensive, help them customise products for China and earn goodwill by training domestic engineers.

Earlier this week, French telecoms giant Alcatel SA (Paris:CGEP.PA - News) and Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc (Tokyo:9437.T - News) both announced separate research-and-development commitments in China valued at US$145 million and a more modest US$5.3 million, respectively.

The Intel centre, to be based out of Legend's Beijing facilities, would have 30 to 40 engineers, said Intel China President Wee Theng Tan.

He declined to give the value of Intel's investment in the project, saying it would largely depend on the scope of future research.

Tan told Reuters that research would focus on technology linking televisions, computers and other appliances into a digital home network and making computers more secure.

"It's the next big thing," he said in a phone interview.

"Many of our efforts are proactive, and from a research-and-development perspective, we have focus programmes that look at products three to five years ahead of time."

Intel said on Wednesday it planned to build a $375 million assembly and test plant in western China that is due to begin operations in 2005 or 2006.

Construction on the plant in Chengdu, in Sichuan province, will begin in the second half of 2004 and is expected to be completed in 2005.

About 40 percent of Intel's sales come from the Asia-Pacific region, making it the largest geographic segment for the Santa Clara, California-based company. China is the firm's second-largest market after the United States.

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