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Intel invests in chip equipment maker

Chipmaker invests in a major maker of semiconductor production equipment.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Intel has invested in ASM International, a major semiconductor production equipment maker that has been struggling during the worldwide economic downturn.

Intel Capital's investment amounts to 4 percent of ASMI's total common share capital, based on approximately 54 million common shares outstanding. This follows an investment last week by Tokyo Electron, which took a 4.9 percent stake in the company.

ASMI is currently trading at about $12.40 a share.

"ASMI has been at the forefront of delivering materials and equipment innovation to integrated circuit manufacturers worldwide," Intel said in a statement. ASMI's equipment and materials are used in wafer processing, assembly, and packaging of semiconductor devices.